New Family Bonds
by ObsidianWing
Summary: Sequel to 'A New Family Member' where we look at the Wammy boys and Light five years into the future of the last installment of this series. Here the boys will have to go through one of life's toughest challenges... puberty. (I still suck at Summaries!)
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: I really hate waiting to start a sequel. XD**_

_**Well, if you haven't already read the summary, this is a continuation of my lat fic 'A New Family Member' so if you're going to read this, I suggest stopping now and heading over to the first installment of my series. Believe me, you'll all be less confused if you do so. :)**_

_**Anyways, I hope you all enjoy my sequel, and reviews would be much appreciated! Thanks!**_

* * *

**(Light P.O.V)**

I could hear the tapping of the keyboard from L's desk. It wasn't hard to miss, and it woke me almost instantly. Despite that, however, I woke up with a smile. Knowing he was right there was enough to make me smile. He'd just gotten home from a case in Paris and I'd been worried for him the whole time he was gone. I was relieved when he came home, and I gave him more of a welcoming than he'd anticipated.

Needless to say neither of us got much sleep last night.

I chuckled. "You can't be working on another case right now."

"Nope. I'm actually grading tests."

I sat up a bit in curiosity. "Oh? I suppose you're grading the boy's tests then."

He hummed in response. "Matt is doing excellently in computer screening and advanced technology, not to mention his art score is through the roof. Mello is actively advanced in both the language arts and physical education. His sensei is most proud of his achievements in the martial arts."

"And Near?"

L seemed to lose his impressed nature. "Near is slipping in all his courses. Mello is looking to pass him within the next few weeks if he's not careful."

"Not good. That means his headaches aren't getting any better. Last time he had migraines like these he was bedridden for a week. It took him a while to catch up with his work. The doctor gave him pills, but it doesn't look like they're working."

"Perhaps we should speak about… you know…"

"Near is a brilliant kid, L, but he's still only eleven. He could get scared if we mention it to him again."

L sighed. "I'm just thinking about what's best for him. You know how smart he is, how much he's proven himself. He can't waste his talents like this because of a headache…"

"I know." I interrupted. "But we need to bring it up carefully."

I slipped out of bed and began to pull on some pants. Of course, L had to say something.

"You really should keep them off. It's less boring when I talking to a completely nude you."

I scoffed. "Well, I'd be happy to do so for you, my love. But you forget that I have a job to do in this school. If I slack off for you alone, the boys might kill each other before the day is through."

"I do so love it when you become all motherly with them." He replied sarcastically. "Makes you look so manly."

I strode over to the bathroom, flicking his head on the way there. "You know just as well as I do that I could dominate you without hesitation or restraint. I choose not to because I deserve the royal treatment much more than you do."

"Royal treatment? Is that what sex is to you?"

I didn't reply. Simply strode into the bathroom and shut the door, locking it.

* * *

**(L P.O.V)**

Poor Light forgot I was able to pick locks. Well, maybe I'll wait when he starts his shower, then join him.

Just as I was getting lost in my sinful thoughts, I heard grates creaking above me. It had gotten louder and louder until the vent opened up and a bag of sweets dropped in from the sky. Most of it being chocolate. It all looked rather familiar…

It was mine! The sweets I'd bought from Paris! How in hell…?!

I didn't have to wonder for long.

The blonde bandit himself dropped drown silently and impressively from the vent. Hair covered in dust bunnies and mould. What the teen wouldn't do for a bar of chocolate.

He stood up from his stance and picked up his bag before realizing he wasn't in his room.

He turned to me, a look of fear coursing through him. He hadn't moved an inch when under the realization he was caught in the act. Little bastard was getting brave nowadays, what with stealing my sweets under my nose. It was cute when he was little, now it was getting tiresome.

I sighed. "I'll let you take a bar if you relinquish the bag."

The blonde grinned nervously, setting down his bag. "Okay, okay, I know when I'm beat." He kneeled down to grab his bar… or at least that's what I thought.

"But it's not today!"

He bolted for the door, stealing away my candy, and was in the hall before I could catch him.

I'd ran like hell to catch up to him, but the kid was smart, swift, and clever. He'd routed out all the air vents and knew them better than his own self. So it didn't surprise me when he wall jumped up and into one of the vents the second he found a chance to do so. There were days I cursed Light for getting him that martial arts trainer. And then other days for teaching the blonde to be more impressively fit than he first seemed.

I was out of breath and out matched. I'd have to find some way to get back at the little bastard for taking what was rightfully mine.

_'Thank god I picked up a whole suitcase of candy.'_ I thought to myself, having a bit of hope left.

* * *

**(Near P.O.V)**

I held my head tight. The headaches had been getting worse within the past year. Even more, I knew Light was thinking about… the solution.

I shuddered at the thought. I hadn't wanted it then, and I didn't want it now.

Matt patted my back. "No worries, Near. Mello's gonna drop in any minute with the stuff. Knowing him, he got all the good stuff for us."

I grumbled. "Knowing him he probably got lost and took a wrong vent."

The red head before me grinned half-heartedly.

I scoffed, holding my bear tight to my chest. Yes, I may have been a little old for plushies, but I couldn't help it. They made my headaches less painful, and they were more fun than making friends here at Wammys. I didn't see any reason in wasting my time with finding a friend when plushies could be your friend for life. Maybe Mello and Matt were able to make friends, but I was not. Nor did I want any aside from my family.

That was the life I chose for myself.

* * *

**(Mello P.O.V)**

Getting away from L was an achievement for the ages, and it helped greatly that the vent I was in would lead me right to my room where Matt and Near were waiting. The albino had been suffering with headaches all night so I thought I'd pick up some candy for him to make him feel better. Of course, L had gotten back yesterday so of course he brought home candy. I figured, if I was going to steal, I might as well steal something good.

I followed the vent until I found the drop zone, making sure that this time it was my own room. I opened the vent from the ceiling and dropped the bag.

"Candy-gram!"

I dropped down soon afterwards and was basically greeted like a hero.

"Dude, you're alive!" Matt said happily. "And you actually got L's stash?!"

"Well, some of it." I said proudly. "Enough for us to eat like kings." I looked at Near. "How's the headache, bud?"

The little ball of white fluff shuddered a bit. "My meds will kick in soon."

I sighed. Poor kid had to go through migraines almost daily now. There was a permanent fix to this, but he was too afraid to go through with it.

I looted through the bag and tossed him some taffy. Banana flavoured, salt water taffy was his favourite, and he deserved some sort mental break from the headaches.

He looked up at me with a smile, half his face covered by his teddy bear. "Thank you, Mello."

I shrugged. "No problem."

* * *

**(Matt P.O.V)**

I admired how much Mello had gone through to make Near just a bit happier than before. I knew Mello well enough that he'd loved Near like his own brother, but was too stubborn to admit it. That was okay though. We all knew he was a softie at heart.

I stuffed my hands in my pockets, feeling two things. My gaming device, and the stone Nan had given me to prove my love to a certain someone. To Mello.

However, at the time she'd given it to me, I felt I was too young to really want to commit to something with the blonde. I felt that, in time, I'd grow out of him. That when he'd become a different person than he was a few years ago, I wouldn't have any strong affections towards him. Turns out, that was all untrue. For the both of us.

We weren't really a couple, not officially, but we did steal more than a few glances at each other. Not to mention the whispered 'I love you's when no one was around. But, other than that, there was nothing to confirm nor deny our status together. But I didn't bring it up too often. I knew how he felt, and that was more than enough for me.

I sat beside the two then, grabbing a sucker from the pile. "You know L's gonna be pissed when he sees his stash is a few sugary sweets short. Right?"

Mello shrugged, biting into a chocolate bar. "He already knows. I dropped into his room by accident."

Near turned to me. "Told ya."

I rolled my eyes, a habit I picked up from Light.

"Anything you wish you didn't see?"

"Surprisingly, no." The blonde replied. "I think Light was taking a shower by the time I dropped in."

"Well, you got lucky."

Near nodded. "You have to respect them for being so discreet about it, though. Unlike our history teacher and the janitor."

We all shuddered at the memory.

"Don't make me relive that nightmare." Mello pleaded. "I don't like the memory."

"None of us do, bro." I replied, another shudder running down my spine.

* * *

_**A/N: Next chapter will totally focus on one character, but I felt like introducing them - rather poorly... sorry - all at once in the first chapter. Just wanted you all to know. :)**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Sorry guys, my internet was cut off for some reason and wasn't able to post this until way later. D:  
**_

_**Anyways, hope you all enjoy, and thank you all for the support! **_

* * *

**(Mello P.O.V)**

I swung my body into a turn kicking ferociously and breaking the board like a twig. This was one of my favourite training exercises, and it more than helped me relieve some anger that built up over the weeks. Not to mention it showcased more than my physical abilities. While I was breaking said boards, some kids would come out to watch or take pictures. I'd advanced to my first black stripe on my belt and things were getting tougher and tougher. But, as long as I was able to break a few things and not get yelled at, I was fine with the extra work.

After I broke the last board however, a sharp pain in the fork of my legs made me want to drop down and cry. I had to stay standing though. I had to show that I was focussed on the task at hand.

Sensei Riu, who had been training me since I was eleven, strode out in front of me, checking my stance. He had a bamboo sword in hand, or a shinai as he had told me once. He used it constantly to keep me balanced and focused. Or for hitting me in the crotch, as he just had.

One look at my gathering of fans and they all bolted for the doors. He didn't like me getting cocky thanks to a fan base.

He sighed, turning back to me and noting I hadn't moved. "Good." He commented. "Keep your mind off the pain. In time you will be able to completely ignore the pain without thought."

"I really hope so." I squeaked out.

He smacked my shoulder. "Arms in!"

I held them closer. However long he'd been teaching me, he was still the same taskmaster as when we met. He'd said I'd only advanced beyond the other students because they were weak of mind, and their sensei was too lenient. When L found him for my teacher, he was almost too sure I'd break within the first week. Four years later, he's still trying to break me.

But he wasn't always a hard head.

He stopped in front of me after checking my stance again. Soon, a smile spread across his face. "You certainly have proven yourself these past few years. I thought you'd be broken by now."

I kept my stance. "Never."

He chuckled, tapping my legs with the sword to let me know I was permitted to leave my stance. "You have a strong mind. But if you continue to only learn to be solid, then you will never learn to be forgiving."

I had to refrain from rolling my eyes in front of him. "You say this every time, sensei. I know I let my anger get the better of me, but it's not that easy to find peace."

"No. It really isn't." He remarked. "It's so easy to hate and hold a grudge. It takes the strong to forgive."

This time I actually did roll my eyes, which got me a smack to the head with the Shinai. I hadn't realized how much damage a bamboo sword could do.

I suppose I deserved it. I wasn't to show disrespect to my sensei. It was more than considered rude.

He gestured to the mats on the floor and I inwardly groaned. This was my least favourite part about my training. It involved doing absolutely nothing, and sitting in one place for close to hours.

Meditation.

I sat at my mat, already feeling the intense boredom arise from inside me, and sighed. "Do I really…?"

"Yes. It's a vital part of your training. It helps to release the flow of negative energy throughout your body. As well, it'll help you become more in tune with your softer side."

I grumbled. "What is with you wanting me to have a softer side? Fighting isn't about being too 'soft' on your opponent, it's about kicking their ass!"

I hadn't meant to insult him or anything, but I didn't take up martial arts to sit around and do nothing. I'd taken it up because I'd wanted to help defend myself and my family. Ever since we'd been kidnapped when I was young I'd regretting not being able to fight them off. And now that I had a master like Riu to help me, he wanted me to sit around and do nothing?! That was bullshit!

My sensei huffed at me. "So, you think it's all about strength? Being gentle has nothing to do with martial arts? With defending yourself?"

I scoffed. "Duh."

At that moment, he put down his sword. "Alright then. Fight me. And let's see how well you do in a fight where all you know is strength."

I laughed a bit. "I don't want to hurt you, sensei. We both know I'm capable of a lot of damage."

He didn't answer me. He simply got into fighting stance and waited.

I stood from my seat in an instant, retying my hair to make sure it didn't distract me. Once I'd gotten into my stance, I made for the first punch.

I barely touched him.

Riu spun right around me, grabbing my wrist, tripping me with his ankle to mine, then pinning me to the floor. It all happened so fast I could hardly believe it. I could have sworn I was standing a moment ago, and now… now I was at his mercy.

He let go of my wrist. "The first lesson you should have been taught as a child is that everything has a balance. Sky and earth, day and night, sun and moon, and of course hard and soft." He held out his hand and helped me up. "You are unbalanced and therefore cannot progress. When you learn to balance yourself, when you learn to forgive, and when you have learned to harness your abilities with both solidity and softness, then we will resume your training."

I jolted at that. "What do you mean?"

Riu turned from me as he began to pack his things. "I cannot teach a student who is unbalanced. It's dangerous and stupid. When you've come to have more balance in your life, please contact me and I will resume your training. But for now," he said as he swung his bag over his shoulder, grabbing his Shinai, "I must be off. I will return to Japan for now, but I shall keep in contact with L and Wammy. Training L was easy enough when he was younger, but training you has given me insight to myself and my world." He bowed to me. "You were a great student. And you will become a better student after you've done some soul searching. I'm happy to have been your sensei."

I felt my heart sink a bit, but there was no stopping him. He was too hard-headed.

I bowed back to him, my hands in the formation he'd shown me since I was young, palm over fist. "Thank you, sensei. I'm sorry for challenging you."

He chuckled at me. "I wouldn't be too sorry. We all get prideful at some points. I remember challenging my master to a fight. Let it suffice to say I didn't last much longer than you did just now."

I smiled at that. But nothing changed the way I felt at seeing him go.

Four years he had trained me. And now I was watching him walk out the door and out into the world. He'd taught me so much while we trained, and I'd been stupid enough to challenge him. Had I just left my pride at the door he might've…

"Mel!"

My thoughts got interrupted. Sensei had been long gone by now, but I'd still waited at the door for him to turn around and come back. How stupid of me.

I turned to the voice. "What is it, Matt?"

He stopped in front of me and grabbed my hand. "Come on, we have to go to the rec room. L says there's a new arrival and he wants us to greet her."

"Her? We've got another female now?" I asked as we started jogging to the rec room.

"Yeah, I think L said her name was… Linda."


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: Well, I meant to do three chapters today, but it looks like it's just gonna be two. Will shoot for three tomorrow, but no promises.**_

_**I hope you all enjoy and thank you to all for the support!**_

* * *

**(Near P.O.V)**

Finally my pills had kicked in and my headaches reduced greatly. Now to meet this Linda that Watari had brought back. Apparently she was an artist, and scored over the genius level on the entrance forms to the Wammy house. Mello, Matt, and I never took the entrance tests because it was L himself who had found us. Because he'd found us, he'd judged us instantly on the spot. Mello had been asked to solve a crossword, which he did in record timing. Matt was asked to assemble a computer, which took him less than a half hour, and I was asked to solve a Rubik's cube, which I'd done in two minutes. L had a gift to see which kid could do what, and he saw all of our talents almost instantly. The regular tests for the other kids were never put upon us.

I walked through the halls, my white bear in my arms, and headed toward the rec room. I was told by Roger to go see L and Light, who were with the new girl, and to help them make her feel comfortable. Matt and Mello were called to the room as well, so I guess it wouldn't be too boring. I just hated having to meet someone new.

Everyone at Wammy's, besides myself and my family here, were all the same. All of them were looking for their own gain and nothing more. They all thought that just because they were geniuses that the world would stop for them and them alone. It was bothersome to deal with, considering I was number one and looking to be the next L. However, if my headaches kept acting up, I might just have to kiss my place goodbye.

I stepped into the room and found everyone was already there. Mello and Matt were off to the corner awaiting instruction, while L and Light were explaining to the girl how things worked here at the orphanage.

Once I caught sight of the girl… of Linda… I couldn't stop staring.

I can't say there was anything really special about her. She wore a simple dress which was covered in chalk dust from earlier on when she was drawing, wore her ruddy hair in pigtails, and wore no shoes on her feet. Still, I kept on staring at her. Something about her was… different. Different than the other kids at Wammys.

Light caught sight of me. "Near, come over and say hello. You know it's rude just to stand around and not introduce yourself."

The Linda girl looked at me then. Her eyes were a deep brown, almost muddy. But they shone like amber stones when the light hit them just right. "Hi! I'm Linda! You're Near, correct? L told me all about you!"

She seemed… nice. Almost… sweet.

I quietly stepped forward but hid behind Light when I had gotten closer to her. Something about this wasn't right. It all seemed… weird. I'd never hid from anyone before, but while looking into her eyes, all I'd wanted to do was hide.

Light caught notice of this. "Near? Are you alright? Is it your headaches?"

It sounded like a good enough excuse so I nodded frantically. "My pills aren't working."

Light only sighed. "Go rest in bed, then. Make sure the blinds are shut and the television is off."

I nodded again before quickly making my escape. When I took one last look at her though, I stumbled a bit but caught myself before I fell. When I was out of that room I could feel my face heat up and my legs go numb.

What was wrong with me?!

* * *

**(Light P.O.V)**

I had to chase away the blush. It was too cute to bear at the moment. I knew L could see it just as clearly as I could, and the look he was giving me was all too readable. Even Mello and Matt had seen it as clearly as us.

Our little Near had his first crush.

L chuckled a bit. "The kid may be smart, but he's hopeless when it comes to puppy love." He whispered to me so Linda wouldn't hear.

Just then, the little girl spoke up. "I like him! He seems nice! I'm sorry about his headaches though. I probably shouldn't have spoken so loudly."

I shook my head. "No need to worry. He's fine. Just needs some rest."

Of course, Mello had to get involved too. "Yeah, but you know what? He's always alone in the orphanage, especially in the playroom. You should visit him while he's playing there. I'm sure he'd enjoy the company."

"Really?!" She asked enthusiastically.

Matt vouched. "Of course, he'd _love_ to have your company!"

Subtle… very subtle…

I sighed, but also agreed with the two. "Near would be happy to have a friend like you. if not, honoured."

She smiled happily. "Okay! I'll go see him tomorrow then!"

L chuckled a bit. "I'll get you settled into a room first. I believe there's a space available with a few of the other girls. I'm sure you'll be happy there."

With that, the two left to find Linda a room. When they were out of ear shot, Mello and Matt started snickering.

"Are we terrible people?" Mello asked.

I gave a quick thought to it. "Depends on the outcome I suppose."

Matt started coughing when he held in his laughter for a bit too long. "If something happens and they become a thing, I'm never going to stop teasing him."

Mello coughed as well, but it sounded different from Matt's cough. Almost… sickly.

His voice came out a bit hoarse. "I swear to god, I'll deliberately embarrass him in front of her if that happens! It's always fun being the older brother!"

I narrowed my eyes a bit. "Mello, are you alright? You sound… off."

He caught this right away and cleared his throat, making him cough a bit more. "I'm… *cough* I'm fine, Light. *Cough* Just a bit of a sore throat. Nothing to… *Cough* worry about."

He gave a slight smile but I hadn't bought it. Something was up and he wasn't telling me.

"You realize if you have another infection that we have to get your tonsils out, yes? That's what the doctor said."

"I swear his PhD is faked!" He coughed out.

I rolled my eyes. I suppose I had to let him suffer for a while more. I still had to think about Near's medical condition. A tonsillectomy wasn't as worrisome as the operation Near may have to get. I only had to bring up the word surgery and the albino disagreed to the procedure. I knew L would get the best doctors for him, but he was still reluctant. I had to keep trying though.

For his sake, I had to keep trying.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: Couldn't sleep, so I wrote down a chapter to post right away.  
**_

_**Sorry if it sucks, but I'm a little tired. Not tired enough to sleep though. :/**_

_**Please enjoy!**_

* * *

**(Matt P.O.V)**

I handed the cup of warm milk to the blonde. He'd been coughing almost all day now and I was more than worried for him.

"Dude, maybe you should tell Light your throat is infected again."

"What!" He tried to yell, but it only came out in a squeak. "No way! You heard him, one more infection and I'm under the knife!"

I scoffed. "You act like it's a life or death operation. They do that stuff all the time, Mel. You'll be fine."

He shook his head, swallowing the milk. His voice only returned to semi normal tones. "You don't get it. The doctors literally have a knife to my throat! One slip up and I'm dead!"

I pinched my brow. Every month was the same thing with Mello. He'd get an infection in his throat, hide it as best as he could, only to end up with Light finding out and having to take him to the doctor. This time, however, he had a chance to solve it for good, but would not go anywhere near the topic of surgery. I was beginning to grow tired of him avoiding it.

He set the glass down at his desk, clearing his throat. "See?" He pointed out, his voice close to normal now. "It's one small infection. I can handle it without the need for surgery."

I didn't buy it. I could tell by the teary eyes that his throat was still in a massive amount of pain.

Well, I hadn't wanted to stoop this low, but he was leaving me with no choice.

"Mel, if you don't tell Light about your throat, I'll tell him myself."

He scoffed at me. "What, you gonna nark on me? We both know you don't have the balls."

A small pause hung through the air. We were both silent and staring at each other. Waiting for one to speak first.

I grinned. "LIGHT!"

I ran from the room with the blonde chasing me. I knew he'd be mad, but I was only doing what was best for him.

I jumped down the stairs and ran for the cafeteria. It was lunch time at this point and most of the kids were in the lunchroom cafeteria, so when I ran in with the blonde at my tail they all started cheering for either me or Mello. Along with that, the lunch room proved to be at my advantage since I could jump he tables and find more than a block to slow down Mello.

When I found Light wasn't there, I quickly made a break for the back doors and ran for the playroom. If anything he'd be there with either Near or Linda. Thank god I had gotten there when I did too, because the blonde had almost caught me a few times.

Sure enough, the brunette was there with Near.

I skidded to a halt behind Light and spoke as quickly as I could before Mello could catch me.

"Matt, I swear to god!" The blonde threatened as he chased me around Light.

"Light, there's something you should know…!"

"Seriously! Shut it!"

The poor man I was using as a shield was becoming more than fed up with us. In fact, I was almost too sure he was about ready to yell at us.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!"

We all stopped in our tracks. I guess he was more ready to blow up than I thought. I almost felt bad.

Light took a deep breath. "Alright. Now, Matt, tell me what it is you need."

Mello was about to speak, but one look from Light and he was silenced.

As soon as I caught my breath I spoke. "Mello has another throat infection. He's been hiding it for a week."

"A WEEK!" He exclaimed as he turned to Mello. "How bad is it!?"

Mello didn't speak. Actually, I doubt he could speak at all. I think all that running only ruined his throat more.

Light put a hand on his head. "Mello, you're burning to the very touch! How could you keep something like this for so long?!"

He shrugged. "I don't know."

I almost didn't hear it. His voice was almost wrecked to the point of nonexistence.

Light's eyes narrowed. "Open."

Mello hesitated, locking his jaw shut.

I noticed Light flare his nostrils a bit. Not good, he only did that if he was _really _angry.

When Mello didn't open his mouth, Light took his jaw and unhinged it looking inside to see the mess.

"Jesus Mello! How on earth do you still have a voice!?"

Near finally piped in. "Gross! It looks like you swallowed blood it's so red."

Light looked at Near then, his eyes narrowed a bit. "Near, keep out of this."

He let go of Mello's jaw. "That's it, those tonsils are coming out! I'm tired of you hiding this from me!"

"What!" The blonde tried to scream. "Don't I get a say in this?!"

"No. You're the kid, I'm the adult. What I say, goes! And as for you, Matt." He turned to me. "You're grounded!"

"What! For what?! I helped you with this!"

"One week for helping him keep it secret, another week for destroying the playroom, and another week for making a mess in the cafeteria."

"What?! How could you possibly know we ran through the cafeteria?!"

"Because you just told me right there. Three weeks, starting right now."

I gawked. "THREE WEEKS!"

"Would you like four?"

I shut up. I was not in the mood to be fighting with Light at the moment. Besides, he usually won.

At the very moment I hung my head in shame, L casually sauntered in. He must have heard Light screaming.

"Is mommy Light stressing out today?" He joked.

Light glared at the man, causing the detective to back off almost immediately.

Light took another deep breath. "Alright, now that that's settled, Near we need to discuss your operation."

"I already told you, Light, I don't want the procedure. I heard it's really risky and people have died!"

"Who told you that?"

"Mello."

The blonde snickered a bit, but immediately stopped the moment Light gave him the death glare. I had to admit, if Mello was afraid of anyone, it was Light when he was pissed. And right now, Light was more than pissed. I doubt even L was safe at the moment.

Another deep breath. "Near, I promise you, the surgery will go off without a hitch. L already has number one doctors on standby for you, and they've done this procedure many times in the past. I know it looks risky, but it's better if you get it done. It'll stop your headaches and you won't have to be on pills for the rest of your life."

"Light, they're drilling a hole into my head!"

L stepped in. "It'll reduce the swelling around your brain, Near. That's why you have your headaches in the first place. You were born with too much of this liquid substance in your head and it's getting worse and worse over the years. All they're going to do, is release some of the liquid and work around to making sure it never happens again."

The albino was silent now. We all knew he was afraid of doctors and surgery, but if it meant him getting better then he should be saying yes.

The little kid looked at the blonde now, a new twinkle in his eyes.

"Fine. I'll do it. But only if Mello gets his tonsillectomy the same day."

"What!" The blonde tried to scream again.

"That seems fair." I piped in, causing Mello to pantomime wanting to strangle me.

For the first time since I'd seen Light that day, the brunette smiled. "Alright then, Near. You have yourself a deal."

"Is no one going to listen to me!?" Mello squeaked out.

L patted the blonde on the shoulder. "Think of it this way, Mello. After the procedure, you can have all the ice cream you want! It's all you'll want to eat, believe me."

"Yes," Light agreed. "But until your surgery, you're grounded as well."

"For what!"

"Same as Matt, plus I'll be confiscating your chocolate bars for telling Near his operation was going to kill him."

The blonde's eye twitched. "This is completely unfair!"

Light pinched his brow. "So is having to deal with the four of you at once."

L chuckled at Light until he realized he'd said four. "What did I do?"

Light didn't even look at him. "You walked into the room."


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Hello hello, and welcome back to another chapter in this series! I hope you all enjoy and thank you all for the wonderful support!**_

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**(L P.O.V)**

Not that I didn't love the boys, I really I did care for them, but lately they'd been giving Light a hard time. Maybe it wasn't intentional, but they weren't exactly helping him too much when he was trying to solve their problems. I guess that was the problem with teenagers. They all think they know everything. In this case, my teenagers _did_ know everything… in a sense. But Light was their guardian, as much as I was, and he deserved more respect than this.

I had just finished a case file when I heard the brunette flop onto the bed. My poor Light-kun was dead tired after arguing with Mello about his operation tomorrow. I understood the blonde was scared, but that didn't mean that he needed to fight with Light about it.

The poor man groaned, sitting up to look at me. "I'm losing my mind in this house. If I'm not looking after Near, Mello's getting into trouble – and then I have to bail him out – or Matt is skipping class to play video games. Not only that, but I have to grade tests, make up new exams for the following year, tutor students, or help you on a case. Then there's helping Roger when Mello _deserves_ to be punished, or Matt is taking apart machinery because he's bored, and then after all that I need to bring Near his meds or help him soothe the headaches somehow. If it wasn't for him getting his operation tomorrow, I may actually scream if I have to take care of all this for one more day! Not to mention Mello is still fighting me about his procedure, and refuses to go through with it!

"I'm just… I… AGHGHHH!"

He slammed his head into the pillow, screaming at the top of his lungs. I decided to stay quiet while he screamed just so he could feel a bit better. Lord knows he needed to vent at the moment. I could understand the frustration. Especially since the boys aren't exactly helping him out in any way.

When he finally stopped screaming and calmed down, I slid off my chair and climbed into bed with him, my head inches from his. "It'll be alright, Light-kun. If you want, I could slip the doctor some cash and he could 'accidentally' slit Mello's throat."

Of course I was joking, however dark it was, but Light still felt the need to glare at me for even thinking about doing that to him.

Another sigh from the man and he planted his face in the pillow again. "I wish they would just grow out of this already! I'm tired of having to deal with their attitudes!"

I nodded to myself. "Puberty is a terrible, terrible point in life. For the kids _and_ the parents."

When he didn't answer me I placed a hand on his back and brushed up and down to soothe him. Mentally he was mature enough to be a parent, but physically it was taking its toll on him. More than once he'd asked me to massage the kinks from his neck and shoulders, and each time I managed to get them out they came back with a vengeance. I was beginning to really worry about his health now, and I more than once debated on sending him away for a small vacation. And anytime I _did_ ask him to go on a vacation, he'd turn it down. He'd said that he didn't want to leave his duties unfinished here, but I knew it was because the last time he went on vacation his boys had been kidnapped. And as much as I respected him for wanting to stay here and keep them safe, I knew it wasn't right.

I stopped my hand and shifted over to hug him. He didn't push me off or tell me to leave him alone, he just laid there and allowed me to comfort him.

"Light, please reconsider taking a week off and just… take a break. I'm worried about how much stress is being put on your shoulders, and I'm not sure you can carry anymore."

The man lifted his head and rested his chin on his hands. "And what if something were to happen to the boys?"

"You're worrying too much. I'm right here if anything goes wrong, plus Mello has been training in martial arts just for that very purpose…"

"Yeah, and his sensei just quit on him!"

I sighed. "Mello said sensei Riu will be back, but only when he deems him more balanced."

Light took a deep breath. "And what about Matt and Near? Near will be recovering from his surgery, and therefor helpless, and Matt wouldn't last ten seconds in a fight. You know he isn't big on confrontation."

"Light, would you listen to yourself!? You're worrying about something that's most likely to never happen again, and you're assuming the boys are still so helpless that they can't throw a punch or two. Even if Near is recovering he's smart enough, and quick enough, to find a place to hide or sneak out of the building. And Matt? Maybe he doesn't like confronting bullies, but if his family were in danger he'd find a way to knock the assailants down a few pegs. And that's if they get passed Mello and his blinding rage."

I could feel the tense muscles in the brunettes back unwind. He seemed to realize exactly what I was trying to say.

He sighed heavily. "I'll think about a vacation. But if I choose so, it'll only be for a few days."

I kissed his head happily. "At least it's a start."

There suddenly came a knock at the door and Light moved to open it. His movements were a bit groggy, but he still insisted on doing everything himself. This included opening the door.

When the door swung open Mello was there with an apologetic look on his face.

I smiled to myself. The blonde ball of rage couldn't stay mad at Light for the life of him. Not only that, but more times than not he was the first to apologise after a fight between the two.

Mello cleared his throat as best as he could, but his voice was still raspy. "I'm sorry for yelling at you, Light. You didn't deserve it."

And, of course, Light couldn't stay mad at his boys for very long either.

"Apology accepted." He said, bringing him into a hug. "I know you're afraid about tomorrow, but I promise you it'll all be fine. By the end of it all you'll feel much better, and I'll make sure you have plenty of L's ice cream to eat afterwards."

I jolted at this. "Wait, what! My ice cream! No way, that brat can have the kind the cafeteria serves!"

Light's eyes slit into a dangerous glare, still holding the blonde in his arms.

I wasn't afraid of his glare, but more along the lines of his not-so-empty-threats of cutting me off sex. As much as I liked the imported ice cream I saved for special occasions, I had other needs that needed satisfaction first.

I groaned. "Fine. But he only gets the chocolate or bubble-gum flavours. No toppings."

"Chocolate sauce topping," Light threatened. "Or it's a _long_ wait for you, my love."

Damn. I forgot he could read my mind and all the dirty thoughts that came with it.

"Deal."

Mello hugged the man tighter. "You're the best, Light."

The man hugged back with a devious smile on his face. "And don't you forget it."

I grumbled unhappily. "You're all against me."


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: I'm thinking of writing and posting a few more chapters today, but I'm wondering if I should make you all wait until tomorrow. I have enough time on my hands to write up a few more chapters before sundown. But that's up to you guys.**_

_**Wait until tomorrow and learn the value of patience, or be greedy and ask for chapters today. But know that if you choose the second option, that you may not get as many chapters tomorrow.**_

_**Well, with that being said, thank you all again for the lovely feedback, and enjoy!**_

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**(Near P.O.V)**

I sat on my hospital bed, my foot tapping nervously. Although I was sharing the room with Mello – a luxury due to L's persuading – I still felt edgy about having the operation done to me. I understood that it would solve all my problems, but knowing a knife was gonna be close enough to my brain where it could kill me was making me all too sick with worry.

Mello didn't show any signs of being afraid but I knew that wasn't the case. Mello was just as scared as I was, if not more. However, he simply lay on his bed staring at the ceiling, and tried not to think about it. How could it be so easy for him?

Light put a hand on my shoulder. "You're going to be okay, Near. I promise you that."

I didn't reply. I just continued to try and regulate my heartbeat again.

One of the nurses called for Light and L – who was under the guise of Ryuzaki – to speak with her outside, leaving Mello and me alone in the room together.

I finally spoke my mind. "Mello… I'm scared."

The blonde hummed. "Yeah. I know how you feel. But there's no getting out of it. We're just gonna have to sit back and let them operate."

"W-what if something goes wrong though? What if I don't make it out!? What if I never see you guys again!?"

I started hyperventilating now and I was about to pass out when I suddenly felt two arms wrap around me and pull me into a hug. I hadn't noticed it was Mello who'd pulled me into his lap until I saw the mess of blonde hair from behind me. How quickly could one person move in a few short seconds?

Mello hugged me a bit tighter. "There's always going to be risks, Near. But if you want to get better and get back to your normal self, I suggest not worrying about all this and just deal. And since we're both doing this together I believe there's more strength to our situation than you believe."

I cuddled into Mello's lap now. Wanting to cry. I was terrified of the operation, terrified of being sliced open like a hunk of meat. It made me feel sick just thinking about it.

Mello hummed a bit. "When you're in the operating room, instead of thinking about what they're going to do to you, think about how I'm going to go through the same. Think about how much we have in common when it comes to this situation right now. How much we both fear this, how much we both don't want this to happen. But then think about how we both have to do this, and how much better we'll be by the end of it all."

My heart began to slow down to a normal pace. He was right. However different the procedures were, we were still in the same boat having to fear the same things. Even though Mello wouldn't admit his fears too often, I knew he had them. And knowing he was as much afraid as I was made me feel just a bit better.

The nurse came back in with Light and L, who had smiled at Mello for trying to comfort me.

"Near," she said, "we'll take you to the operating room now. Mello, you'll be taken to the other operating room on this floor."

Mello let go of me and jumped off my bed. "Sounds good, lady."

He crawled into his bed and awaited to be taken away.

Two doctors and one other nurse came in and unlocked the beds. Before they wheeled us out we had a chance to hug L and Light and then we were off. The ride to the operating room was nerve-wracking. The whole time I had to keep myself from fainting out of pure fright.

When Mello was wheeled away from me, I saw him give me a small smile before disappearing behind the corner.

I felt my heart sink to my stomach for him. And I prayed that when this was all over, I'd see him when I woke up.

**(Mello P.O.V)**

I woke up in a hazy state, the last thing I remembered was the mask they'd placed over my mouth. It was night time at this point, but I could see two figures on the other side of the room. One was falling asleep in his chair, and the other was typing away on his laptop.

"L-Light? L?"

I was too groggy to realize the mistake I'd made in calling the detective L instead of Ryuzaki, but it didn't seem like it had mattered at the moment. No one who didn't know was there, and if there had been they probably would have chalked it up to the heavy duty drugs I was on.

Light perked up. "Hey, you're awake!" He exclaimed quietly, hurrying to my side.

I rubbed my eye with the palm of my hand. "Barely." I soon realized the intense pain running through my throat when I tried to swallow my saliva.

Light noticed the pain I was in. "How's your throat?"

"Ugh, like someone took a weed-whacker to it." My voice became raspier.

Light chuckled as L strolled up behind him. "I'll call for the nurse and she'll grab you something to eat. You won't be eating solids for a while, so Watari will be lending your food for a while."

I cringed at that. "I think I'll starve, thanks."

I looked over to my right and noticed Near wasn't back yet.

As if Light read my mind, "Near's operation will be another hour or so. The doctor you had checked for us and he said he's doing fine."

I nodded, lying back on my pillow. I held my throat when another wave of pain came over me. "This sucks!"

Light chuckled again, petting his hand through my hair. "It could have been a lot worse. At least you won't have to worry about throat infections happening every month."

I nodded, not willing to speak anymore.

True to his word, L got a nurse to bring in some sherbet and blended foods for me. It was a good thing too, because I was hungrier than I thought I was. Although, I had to fast for a day for my operation, so I suppose I was hungrier than I liked to admit.

Once I'd finished of my food, rather slowly considering all but the sherbet hurt my throat, the albino was wheeled in almost immediately. He had a bandage over his head, with a small blood spot on the back where they'd cut, and he was out like a light.

The doctor turned to us. "Everything went swimmingly! He should be up by tomorrow morning. If you'd two like to stay overnight so you can greet him, we could get you some blankets."

L nodded. "Thank you, that would be much appreciated."

Just then, my own doctor came in and hurried to my side almost immediately.

"Open up, Mello. I heard you got some food and I just want to make sure everything's alright."

I did as told and opened my mouth. To be completely honest, I liked my doctor. He was quick and to the point, and he cracked a few jokes every so often.

Near's doctor looked at me then. "You're making the rounds, kid. A lot of nurses and doctors know about you right now."

When I was allowed to close my mouth, I asked why.

He replied, "Apparently your throat was so infected it was a miracle at all that you were still able to talk. How many times did it get infected? Every month?"

I nodded, feeling a little bad for not getting it fixed sooner.

Near's doctor shook his head. "Kid, you are some kind of lucky."

"I'll say." My doctor piped up. "Your throat is still red, but the infection is almost completely gone. Not only that, but you were able to eat with aggravating it further."

"You got incredibly lucky, Mello." Light spoke up, making me cringe inward a bit. "Don't think you'll get that lucky again."

Since I decided not to speak, to save my voice a bit, I put my right hand on my heart and left hand up as a pantomime to promise that I'd never lie or hide something like this from Light or L again.

What was freaky, was Light replied with, "You'd better not." Under his breath.

I swear, the longer I knew him the more he was able to read my mind. How utterly scary that thought was.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Well, my butt hurts from sitting on the floor for so long, writing out chapters for you guys, so I hope you appreciate my hard work.  
**_

_**XD Nah, whatever! I'm Canadian what do I care if you guys hate it or not? But seriously, my butt hurts from sitting for so long. I'll go take a walk and maybe write out one last chapter for today!**_

_**Thank you to all and I hope you enjoy! (Wow, I say this a lot. :/)**_

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**(Matt P.O.V)**

Mello and Near came home in no time. They had been excused from classes for two weeks, Near getting a month if needed, to recover and their grades would not be affected one bit. I was happy to see the two of them made it out safely and all their limbs and vital organs were intact. Mello's voice was still a bit raspy and Near was tired from his drugs, but the two of them would be fine, just like Light had promised. The only thing I could complain about was them getting the royal treatment from Light and L twenty-four seven. Serving them food in bed, letting them watch all the television they wanted, and Mello was gorging on L's imported ice cream.

But as long as they were alive, I couldn't complain too much. Although I wish Mello would have shared that ice cream.

While Near slept, for the eighteenth time that day, Mello and I played some video games from his bed. He was talking more now since his throat was healing nicely, but he still couldn't yell or anything until it was completely healed and his scars wouldn't rip from over exertion.

In the middle of our game I decided to ask about the operation.

"So how was it? You know… to go under the knife."

The blonde shuddered a bit. "Terrifying. But I didn't feel a thing. They just put me under, then I woke up. That's really all I remember."

"Well, hopefully it won't have to happen again. I got really worried for you while you were gone. Your throat looked so bad, and you were losing your voice bit by bit every day. I was beginning to think you'd lose it permanently."

"I almost did. At least that's what my doctor said. Light was more than angry at me for waiting so long, I thought for sure that he was going to punish me."

"I think the pain you went through is punishment enough. Plus, he did ground you and took your chocolate away. Plus, you won't be eating said chocolate for a while yet…"

"Thank you, Matt!" He interrupted, making me giggle. "Now please shut up!"

I cleared my throat after giggling. "Hey, you could have gotten a way worse punishment. Like losing your voice."

He sighed. "Very true, good point."

I ended the game swiftly, then turned to Mello. "I win!"

He threw his controller at me, hitting my head.

"What the hell was that for?!"

He narrowed his eyes. "Where are they?"

I blinked, knowing full well what he meant. "Where are what?" I asked silently.

The blonde could move like a cheetah if he had to because I barely had time to react before he started climbing on me and digging through my pockets to find what I was hiding. When he didn't find it in my pockets he went searching down my pants.

I giggled and laughed the entire time. I was incredibly ticklish and he wasn't holding back.

"Seriously Mel! Stop it!" I begged as I kept laughing. "Please stop, I'm way too ticklish!"

The moment his hands went down my pants I shrieked a bit. "Hey! At least wine and dine me before going _that_ far!"

Mello suddenly ripped his hand out holding a piece of paper. "Cheat codes, Matt!?"

My laughing died down to a few giggles. "What, they make you angry! It's more fun for me if you're suffering!"

He hit me with a pillow then, knocking me to the floor. After that, he continued to wail on me with the same pillow. We were careful not to hit the T.V but more than a few things got in our way as we fought each other. I didn't want to hurt Mello, with him being sick and all, but he was practically asking for his butt to be kicked.

Sadly, though, I wasn't as strong as I thought I was.

He had me pinned in no time flat. "Where are your cheat codes now?"

I tried to get up but he had me pinned pretty well. What had me completely stuck to the ground was the way he looked at me though. His animalistic eyes and lithe form kept me under his spell the entire time. Sad as it was, he knew I was a sucker for him and his charms.

I finally stopped fighting and smiled at him. "Mel, when are we ever gonna spark up a relationship?"

The question took him off guard, be he'd already had the answer. "Matt, I told you before I want to wait a bit more. And if you're forgetting it was your idea to wait in the first place. I just agreed because it was a smart idea."

"Yeah, but we're already in our teens. I'd say we waited long enough. And it's not like things have totally changed between us."

He let go of my wrists, allowing me to get up. "First of all, Matt, we've only waited five years at the least. Things can change in the next few months that could probably ruin things for us. You don't know for sure what's gonna happen at any given point in time.

"Secondly, we both have school to worry about first and whether or not we're gonna have solid career choices, so a relationship would only suffer more because of that.

"Lastly…"

Before he could finish I leaned forward to kiss his lips, something we hadn't done together quite yet. Making this all the more special to me.

He was completely caught off guard, but it wasn't long before he melted into my touch and kissed me back. I don't know how he felt at the moment, but I could swear I felt fireworks go off inside my head a thousand times over. I'd wanted this for so long now, and I regretted ever telling Mello that we should have waited until we were older.

We broke apart for air and the two of us stared at each other. It was one of the more intense moments we'd shared together. Not quite 'kidnapping' intense, but more… 'It was our very first kiss' type of intense. How happy I was that I got to share it with him, too.

Mello looked away and at the carpet. "Umm… so that just happened."

"And you _still_ think we should wait?" I added.

He tapped his thumb in thought. "Well… we should wait 'til we're older to start a relationship."

I groaned at his stubbornness. He was always going to be hard-headed.

"But…" he continued, "I'm open to the idea of being friends with benefits." He grinned mischievously.

I could feel my cheeks grow hot. Was I blushing? I shouldn't be… but I am. The thought of being… intimate with him was tempting, to say the least, but…

He flicked my forehead. "Before you go getting any ideas, perv, remember that we're hardly passed being tweens, and I'm not willing to give myself up to you anytime soon. When I say friends with benefits, I meant we can be a couple without actually _being_ a couple."

I almost exhaled in relief for that. Not that I didn't think about Mello in that way, but I wasn't sure if I would have been able to… perform when the occasion arose.

With that out of the way. "Okay, but what do you mean we'd be a couple without _being_ a couple?"

Mello suddenly began to cuddle me and I felt my cheeks heat up again. "Like, we'll kiss and stuff but our problems are our own to deal with."

I looked down at him. "But, isn't that just being a terrible couple?"

"Matt, this is the closest thing you're getting to a relationship at the moment. Do you want it or not?"

I nodded fanatically. "Yes, I do!"

"Well then, let's not complain. Also, we keep this to ourselves in private. So in secluded places or in our room, but only when Near is asleep or away."

"I'm good with that. Light might just yell at us if he finds out anyway."

"Well then you'd better pay me to keep quiet."

Both Mello and I jolted upright the moment the albino spoke. How long had he been listening to us?!

Near giggled. "Would be a shame if I let Light know you two were 'Friends with benefits'."

Mello's eyes narrowed but his smile grew cheeky. "Alright Near, here's your payment. You keep this secret, and I won't tell L about how _you_ were the one to eat his last piece of Belgian chocolate cake. You remember, the one _I_ took the fall for!?"

The albino blinked. "Threats, Mello?"

After a long bout of silence, Near sighed. "Fine. I'll keep quiet."

Mello grinned. "Good."

I looked back up to the kid. "Did you seriously take his cake? L was furious about that!"

"I did, and it was delicious."

Mello nodded. "You got balls, kid, but I still took the blame for you!"

Near only rolled over. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Both of you be quiet now. You woke me up with your sex talk and I need sleep."

"We weren't talking about sex." I defended.

The albino giggled. "But you were thinking it."

I cringed in a bit. He got me there.


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: Alright, that's it for chapters tonight guys! But I'll be back tomorrow with another!  
**_

_**Please enjoy, and thank you all once again!**_

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**(Light P.O.V)**

My night was filled with both reading and tending to my boys. Reading in the sense of reading emails sent from my father. Ever since L had told him who he was, I'd had much more contact with him than I had five years ago when he knew I was with 'Ryuzaki'. But now that the secret was out, and my father swore never to tell a soul, our families had only gotten closer. I wished, however, that I was able to see them in person more often.

But, it was the way things worked out. At least I didn't have to lie to my parents anymore about who I was with and what I was doing anymore.

I sipped my tea, relishing in the flavour. England had a variety of teas to try, but once in a while Watari would make some Japanese tea like what I'd had back when I lived with my parents. Both styles of tea those from England and those from Japan, were excellent in their own way. But I had an almost nostalgic trip when I drank my home country's brew.

L suddenly popped in and saw me on his laptop. "Checking your emails?"

I nodded. "My father sent a few this week. I'm reading the last one now."

It was almost like reading it in his voice,

_'My dearest son,_

_'I'm sorry to be bombarding you with all these emails. Lord knows you hardly have the time to write me back while taking care of those three teenagers of yours. Ah, but I miss them all the same. Which is half the reason why I'm sending you this._

_'You see, your aunt Satomi is planning a large family gathering and it will be taking place in the UK with her husband and family. I know I've said in the past that I don't get along with her too well, and I almost turned down her invitation, but at the thought of you being close to us anyways I would ask that you join in with Ryuzaki and the boys. You don't have to stay for the whole time, but long enough for us to meet once again and spend time as a family would be most excellent._

_'Please let me know before Saturday what you intend to do._

_'With love from both myself and your mother.'_

"Hmm," came the response from the detective beside me. "I'm not sure we should go."

"And why's that? You don't want to meet my family?" I joked.

L leaned his head on mine. "It's not that. I just don't think the rest of your extended family will accept the family you adopted in us. Your parents and sister are incredibly understanding of our relationship, and have more than welcomed me and the boys as part of their family, but you have to realize that the older ones in your family tree are probably not so understanding. I don't want the boys to be shunned or spat on because of our relationship. It's not fair to them."

I sighed heavily, almost agreeing with him. But then…

"How about this? We go there for one day, and one day alone, and then we use your house here and have my family stay with us. No shunning, no spitting, just one day. Nothing can go wrong with one day."

L gave a deeps breath. "Well, I suppose it's been a while since the boys saw their grandparents. And if it is for one day, I guess I could suffer through it for you. Call it my atonement for not helping you with the boys like I should have this month."

I smiled happily, kissing his cheek. "Have I reminded you lately how much I love you?"

"No, but you could start right now."

He leaned in to initiate but I dodged his kiss. He ended up landing behind me on the bed and I utilized his body as a pillow.

"_After_ I send a confirmation to my father."

L groaned. "Make it quick."

* * *

**(Mello P.O.V)**

Sitting, unmoving, waiting, listening, feeling, thinking…

It was so fucking boring!

I finally flopped to the grass and growled. I had to learn balance, but I was sick of sitting around and not doing anything. How was I going to learn this if I couldn't sit still for even the shortest of moments!? It was almost infuriating!

I decided to just gaze up at the stars then. I was technically out past curfew, but I wasn't far from the orphanage so I doubt I'd get into trouble. If anything I needed to be away from all of them to focus on what it is to be balanced. If anything, nothing was balanced in my life at the moment. I was running around with Matt almost every day now, which made me focus less on my work and more about him, and then there was having to deal with my anger issues, plus my throat was killing me, and then… AGHHHGH!

I rolled over and slammed my head into the dirt. "WHY IS BEING A TEENAGER SO HARD!?" I screamed.

"My guess is the hormones."

I jolted upright and saw L standing just feet away from me. He seemed more than amused with my sudden outburst.

I scoffed at him. "Nice to see you're still alive. I haven't seen you all week."

He sat beside me then. "Being the world's greatest detective has its ups and downs. One of the downs being I barely spend time with my favourite boys anymore."

I grinned a bit. "So why _are_ you here? Came to mock me?"

L shook his head. "Not at all. Light's writing a letter to your grandfather, despite me demanding him to make it quicker than he is," he said bitterly, "but it is what it is, so I went out looking for you. I thought you might want help in trying to find balance."

I perked up at this. "You can help with that?"

"Sure thing. And you don't need to meditate to do it."

I smiled excitedly as I shifted my body to get a better look at him when he spoke to me. "So what do I do then?"

L chuckled. "I can't just _tell _you, Mello. You have to figure it out yourself."

I gawked at him. "But you said you'd tell me!"

"I said I'd help you. And I will. All you have to do is follow my lead."

He suddenly got up from his spot and made his way back to the orphanage. I followed close behind to see what he was up to.

When we'd entered the house he took me to the playroom and brought out the domino set that Near used all the time. He would always stack them one by one…

Wait… these were different. They weren't Near's dominoes.

He handed them to me. "Stack these, one by one, in a row across the room. When you've done that, make a circle with them, after that a triangle."

I blinked. "Uh… how 'bout no? This is more Near's thing than mine."

"Just do it, Mello. I promise you it'll help with your inner balance. I pass these onto you, from one student to another."

I looked down at the box and pulled out a domino. These dominos didn't have dots on them like Near's. They were blank, small, wooden, and thinner than the ones the albino had.

"Just those three shapes, right?"

L nodded. "Once you've done those three, I'll give you more complex shapes to do." He strode out of the room. "I'll give you an hour right now, but then you're off to bed. Am I clear?"

I nodded and with that, he was gone. I was alone to do my work.

I looked at the set of not-so-dominoes. There was one hundred and fifty one in this package. Enough to make a decent line.

I started to stack them. The first three stayed standing, but the moment I'd put the fourth down, they all fell to the floor. I couldn't believe it. I had only put four down, all as carefully as I could.

I sighed and began stacking them again, only to have them fall over once again. I repeated this over and over and OVER again. Each time I managed to fail at making one stupid straight line out of any of them. I had gotten so frustrated with them that I nearly threw the box across the room! However, I kept my cool and kept going.

By the time my hour was up, I'd done it! I made one straight line across the room. I had been quite proud of myself until I realized I had two more shapes to do.

I flopped into the chair in the playroom, pinching my brow. I then noticed the dominoes had fallen over once more.

I ended up throwing the box.


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: Sorry! I wrote this last night and was gonna post it this morning, but I slept in. D:  
**_

_**But I hope you all enjoy anyways! Reviews always welcomed!**_

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**(Near P.O.V)**

I continued to stack my cards in hopes of building a tower larger than me. I had been watching Mello try to place his dominoes in the shape of a circle, but watching him fail over and over again was only funny the first few times. I don't know how long the blonde had been trying to do this, but he was failing miserably. It didn't help that he dominoes were smaller, thinner, and much more likely to fall over than the ones I had. Still, it was hilarious seeing him rage over something as small as this.

I placed another card on my tower, having to stand up to finish it now, when Linda came skipping in. The clicking of wood suggested that Mello's dominoes fell over because of her.

She stopped in her tracks, looking scared. "Oh, I'm so sorry Mello! I didn't mean…"

"No," he interrupted, rather loudly and sarcastically, "it's fine! I'll just start over again! Like I have been doing for the past three goddamn HOURS!"

Linda paled a bit, but I laughed under my breath.

"At least my card tower stayed up." I mumbled to myself.

Just as I was about to put another card on the tower, a domino flew right through the center causing it all to fall down.

I glared at Mello. "Really?"

The blonde sneered. "Oops."

I sighed, sitting down once again to restart my tower.

Linda sat in front of me, her cheeks red and eyes glittering a bit. "Hi Near, wanna go out and play? I'm done all my classes today."

"No thank you, Linda. I'm kinda busy now." I glanced at the blonde, a bit of resentment in my voice.

Mello said nothing, but he had a cheeky grin on his face while he worked.

Linda seemed saddened by my answer. "Oh, okay. Well, can I stay in here then and hang out with you?"

I shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me."

She beamed. "Okay! Just let me go get my sketchbook so I'm not too much of a bother to you."

She ran out the room, causing Mello's dominoes to fall… again.

This time I protected my tower before he threw one my way.

The blonde sighed, lying down to catch a breath and rethink what to do next. He had even grabbed a chocolate bar from his pocket, probably to help his anger from bubbling over again.

He chuckled. "Linda seems to like you."

I hummed. I guess I didn't care too much what he'd said. I was too focussed on my tower.

"And… you like her?"

I stacked two cards together. "She's nice."

Mello rolled over to look at me. "You're serious? You were crushing on her not two weeks ago."

I shrugged again. "I didn't know her then. She's different from the other girls here, yes, but she's not my type. Not all crushes grow into a full blown love, Mello."

He huffed a bit of laughter. "Yeah, but I've never seen you crush on anyone before."

"Did you ever think that maybe I just didn't know how to speak to a girl? Aside from you of course."

Another domino through my tower. That one I deserved.

I sighed. "You can't solve your problems by destroying things, Mello."

"No." He said as he bit into his chocolate. "But I can feel better by destroying _your _things."

I groaned a bit and began my tower anew. "To make things more clear for you, I _have_ had a crush on someone before. They're taken now, but I'm still quite fond of them."

The blonde laughed. "No way! Who is it!? It's me, right? You're crushing on me?"

I knew he was being facetious but I decided to humour him anyway. "Yes, Mello, I'm completely in love with you. Take me now, my prince!"

He hissed a bit. "I don't know if Matt is open to polygamy."

"He never has to know." I whispered, causing him to laugh.

"He'd find out. But, uh, I'll keep you in mind. Just in case he disappoints me in the future."

I shook my head while rolling my eyes, stacking another card on my tower.

The blonde finished his chocolate bar, crumpled the wrapper into a ball, and threw it in the trash. "Seriously, who is it? Is it someone older or younger than you?"

"No."

The chocoholic scoffed. "That's a vague answer."

"No, I'm not telling you. You would just make fun of me."

"Come on! No I won't!" He paused. "Okay, maybe a little, but that's because you're my brother. It's an occupational duty."

I sighed heavily. "I'm not telling you."

"You aren't telling him what?" Asked Linda as she walked into the playroom.

Mello giggled. "Who he has a crush on."

Linda giggled too, much to my horror.

"Oh, thank you!" I yelled. "Why not get on the PA system and tell the whole school!?"

From the moment I uttered the words I knew they were the wrong choice.

Mello's sneer grew. "If you say so!"

He ran right out of the room and I hurried to stop him. He was fast though, and knew he would be able to beat me to the office where all the announcements were made. I had to try though. For my own dignity and sanity, I had to try.

He ran right into the office and dove for the intercom mic. Right as he was about to speak I tackled into him and the mic was knocked from his hand. I tried to hold him down as he began clawing his way to the microphone. I had him in a choke hold, but he was still laughing and giggling the whole time. To be honest, neither of us should have been doing this since we were both still recovering, and I risked having my stiches being ripped. I knew for a fact that if Light caught us right now, we'd have our butts handed to us on a silver platter.

Mello finally got hold of the microphone and flipped it on. "Attention, students! Attention!" I heard his voice coming from the hallway. "We have a very important announcement!"

I finally let him go and began to beg. "Please, Mello! Don't say it! You know I was joking, so please, PLEASE, don't do this to me!"

He held the mic in between his fingers, a slight sneer on his face. He tapped the microphone to test it once again.

"My fellow students, it had come to my attention that our number one student here at Wammy's, Near, if any of you are unfamiliar, has…" he paused for dramatic effect.

I'm ruined.

"…has found Roger's secret stash of porno mags under his desk. That is all!"

He dropped the mic and began running back to our room, laughing his head off. I ran after him as well, feeling more than relieved than I'd ever felt before.

As we ran, I asked him why he didn't tell.

He ruffled my hair. "Come on! I'm mean, but I'm not cruel! Now keep running, we gotta get back to our room and hide before Roger catches us!"

"Won't L and Light be angry at us?"

"I highly doubt it. L was the one who told me to do it! Light even approved!"

"What?! Why?!"

He shrugged. "I don't know. L said he was bored. Light too. I just said, 'sure, why not,' and now we're here."

I laughed for the first time in a month. "You're _incredibly_ mean!"

"Just keep running, snowflake!"

Although Mello and I didn't get along very well most times of the year, I treasured the moments where we _did _get along. Where he included me and I wasn't in competition with him. It was truly refreshing to know he didn't completely hate me.

At least not at this moment.


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: No chapters until late tomorrow guys. I'm gonna be out all day and have to spare time for writing. I'll maybe write out half of one tonight so I can finish it later tomorrow.  
**_

_**Anyways, thank you to all my followers and reviewers for the awesome feedback! You guys are truly amazing!**_

_**Enjoy! **_

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**(Matt P.O.V)**

_Mello's eyes locked onto mine. They were filled with something I hadn't seen before. Desire. But why would he desire me? Why did he care so much?_

_He sat me down on my bed and crawled into my lap. "I love you so much, Matt. Say you love me back."_

_"I'll always love you." I replied, feeling something weird course through my body. It was like I was losing all the blood in my brain._

_I began to shiver as he dragged his hands up and down my torso. What was he doing? This couldn't have been right. But I didn't want it to stop. I loved the feeling, the way he looked at me, and the touches. Why hadn't we done this before?_

_He planted his lips on mine then moved them to my neck, making more of the blood in my body disappear._

_Disappear? No, that's not right. It had to be going somewhere._

_My thoughts were interrupted when he ground his hips a bit, causing a strange feeling to course through me from my pelvis. This was… odd. But it felt so good._

_He began to whisper my name over and over, and I got lost in his voice._

_"Matt… Matt…?"_

"MATT!"

I felt a flick to my ear and I jolted out of bed. It had all been a dream?

_'Goddammit!' _ I almost screamed.

I leaned upwards to see Mello looking at me incredulously. "Matt, you need to wake up already. Breakfast already started, and we're leaving for the house soon."

"House?" I asked groggily.

The blonde rolled his eyes. "You do remember that we're going to Light's family reunion thing tomorrow, right?"

Realization finally hit me. "Oh yeah! Sorry, I just… erm…"

Do I tell him I was distracted by my dream? No, then he'd ask what it was about, and I knew I couldn't tell him the truth. He'd either laugh at me or get offended.

The blonde rolled his eyes. "Whatever, just meet me down in the caff, I'll get your food for you."

He walked out of the room before I could thank him. I suppose I'd overslept because not even Near was in the room. It seemed like everyone was in the cafeteria.

I began to sit up when I realized something was wrong. Something was very wrong. My pajama pants were tighter than I'd went to bed with. All I could do was sit there in horror as I lifted my blanket for a quick second, before quickly covering myself again. There was no way this was happening, and now of all times!?

As teenagers we were forced to take health course and a sex ed. course in school. It was sort of a mandatory thing but none of us took it seriously. We would giggle more times than not when a teacher said 'breast' or 'penis' and then the whole class would bust a gut laughing when someone from the back would start up the penis-game. The teachers would not have the least bit of fun having to control us and stop us from laughing.

However, at this moment, I really wished I'd paid attention in class. Maybe there had been a lesson on how to deal with this… situation that I was in, but I was too busy giggling at Mello's jokes on the subject.

I could feel the blush on my face overpower me. This had never happened before in my life, and I had no idea how to deal with it. Not to mention the fact that the more I tried to cover it, the more suspicious it looked.

I tried to… push it down, but that ended up hurting. I debated walking it out, but I knew someone might find me. So… what did I do!?

To make matters worse…

"Matt?" Light's voice came through the door as he knocked. "Are you alright? Mello's waiting downstairs for you."

I blushed again at my dream and it only made matters worse for my growing problem.

I mentally face-palmed at my unintentional pun.

"I-I'll be out soon."

I knew the hesitation in my voice rose his suspicion, and he entered my room anyway. Thank all the gods out there that I was covered.

Light gave me a look. "Matt, this is completely unlike you. You're always the first one in the cafeteria for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. What are you still doing in bed?"

I thought as quickly as I could. "Uhm… I… uhh… don't feel well?"

Light slanted his brow. "Oh? Is it your stomach?"

I bit my lip. "Yes?"

Light wasn't buying it one bit.

He turned around closed the door to the room, and stood against it so no one would walk in unannounced.

"Matt, tell me what's wrong."

I sunk into my bed a bit. "I can't."

"Why not?"

My blush deepened. "You'll laugh."

The man looked confused until he saw my hands covering my... place, and had got it almost instantly. He even had to turn his head so I wouldn't see his smile. He didn't do a very good job.

"See! I told you!"

"I'm not laughing." He defended, smile still on his face. "I promise you that. Even if I was, I'd be laughing with you, not at you."

"Except that I'm not laughing, Light!"

"I know! I know you're scared. But I'm just wondering why you haven't solved your…" he giggled a bit. "problem."

That's when I cringed a bit. "I don't know how."

"Oh? Is that because you were playing the penis-game in class instead of listening to your teacher, like you were supposed to?"

I now felt bad for all the times I wasn't listening to the health and sex ed. teacher. "I'm sorry."

"You should be sorry." He said as he walked into the bathroom. I heard him turn on the faucet. "You should also feel lucky that I came in when I did, however embarrassing it may be."

"This ever happen to you?"

"Once or twice, and just like you I wasn't paying attention in class and giggling at all the words the teacher said. The moment I didn't know what to do, my mother had to tell me how to fix my… erm… problem. It's embarrassing to be found out, but it is way more embarrassing when your mom finds out, believe me."

My blush lightened from my face a bit. But I still felt a bit scared. "Is this gonna happen a lot?"

He came back out of the bathroom with a cloth in hand. "Not as often as you believe. The moment you know how to deal with it the first time, the next time won't be as bad."

He threw the cloth at me and I almost yelped at how cold it was. When I looked at him with question, he simply gestured to my… area, and I soon put the cloth on it, cringing at the cold.

Light only chuckled a bit. "Ice or a cold shower works better, but this should help just as good."

It did help, too. My pants became less tight now, and I felt a relief course through my body. I thought for sure I was going to either be stuck in bed or have to walk through the halls with it. I almost thanked the lord Light walked in and helped me.

I looked up at him, still a bit embarrassed. "Thank you."

Light didn't seem to be embarrassed in the slightest. "You're welcome, but promise me you'll start listening in class now."

"It's not my fault! The subject is so…" What was the word?

Light sat on the bed across from me. "It's so weird? Funny? Embarrassing? Dumb? Pointless?"

I nodded. "Yeah, those."

Light pinched his brow, smile still on his face. "Yes, Matt, it is all those. But it's also what prepares you for what's inevitably going to come in later. I know you're only fourteen at the moment, but if you aren't prepared you're gonna wind up confused in the future. Kinda like you were this morning."

I cringed inward again. "Yeah, but it's still weird."

"Too bad. It's a part of life, and you can't avoid it. And there's no shame in asking questions either, whether it be for me or your teacher. If you don't ask, we can't help you."

I nodded, feeling more than dumb for not paying attention in class, and for not learning anything. Had I done so, I probably wouldn't be facing this kind of embarrassment at the moment.

"I feel really stupid, Light."

He chuckled. "Well, you can feel stupid, or you can look stupid. Had I not come in and helped you solve your problem, you'd look pretty stupid walking down the halls."

I had to smile at the thought. "I don't think that's gonna happen. At least not to me."

Light chuckled again. "Good. Now you're learning. Again, if you have questions, come find me or your teacher. But try to find L first."

"L? Why him?"

Light tried to hold in his laughter. "Because I've never seen the man embarrassed, and I think one of his successors asking for the 'sex talk' might actually put him at a disadvantage for once."

I giggled at the thought. "You're so mean. But okay, I'll do it!"

The brunette couldn't hold his giggles anymore. "And remember to be graphic. Ask about things that you already learned in class, but ask for a more vivid explanation."

I couldn't help but laugh. "I should ask him where babies come from again! Last time Mello asked, he tried to hand off the question to Watari! His face was priceless!"

Light almost fell off my bed with laughter. The thought of L having to explain the 'birds and the bees' was too priceless. The man was many things, but he never gave us 'the talk', not even when we'd asked.

Just when Light and I were about to fall over from laughter, Mello strode into the room. At first he was angry, probably at me for not coming downstairs, but then he was confused at seeing us laughing for – what was to him – no reason.

"You guys are weirder than usual today."


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N: Yay! I got home earlier than expected and finished the chapter early! No promises on a second chapter today though. I'm worn out.  
**_

_**At any rate, enjoy!**_

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**(Light P.O.V)**

I tapped my foot in nervousness. L could see that I wasn't too pleased with everything that was going to happen. But, my boys were as much my family as everyone else who would be there. The only thing was, I knew it would all go downhill.

My aunt Satomi, or my mother's older sister, was a social butterfly and arranged a family reunion type of occasion every few years or so. My family never really went, being that we had a strong dislike towards her, her husband, and her children, and so didn't take part in the festivities. However, being that I hadn't seen my parents for close to two years now, I decided to agree and go with them. My father asked me to bring the boys with me, but that only made me more nervous. Especially with Mello fuming over his dominoes, Matt being an introvert in social affairs, and Near's recovery. Not to mention my, rather odd, boyfriend. My mother and father accepted them without question, but the rest of my family may be another story.

L unbuckled his seat belt and scooted next to me. "You're worrying too much."

I continued to look out the window of the limousine. Of course L wanted to arrive in style, and the boys didn't help when they agreed to the idea. I just wasn't getting a break today.

I sighed. "Believe me, I'm worrying just enough."

L kissed my cheek. "I promise we'll behave. I'll stay by your side, the boys won't talk, and everything will be alright."

I looked at him incredulously. "_You_ lot are gonna behave? " I scoffed. "And I'm about to fly to the moon."

"While you're there, bring me back a space rock." Matt joked, earning a flick to the ear from Mello.

The blonde then looked at me. "We promise to behave, Light. I didn't even bring my dominoes, and Matt only has one game."

"Plus, I only brought one stuffy with me." Near spoke as he cuddled his little white bear.

I smiled a bit at the three. "It's not that I don't trust you all, it's my family I don't trust. Your Nan and Sofu may love you like you're a part of the family, and Sayu would more than defend you guys if needed. But the rest of them are just… bigoted. I don't want you all to be spat on because you were adopted, or have different preferences than them. I'm mostly worried for the four of you because of me. If anything it's my fault if anything gets said."

"Why would it be your fault?" Matt asked.

"Yeah, just because you love and care for someone doesn't mean they should bad mouth you." Mello added defiantly.

Before I could say something L jumped in. "Boys, society in some places can be rough. Where a relationship between myself and Light is considered normal to you, it isn't so with others. And you three are in the battle zone as much as we are because we technically adopted you. None of this is considered normal to people in, let's say, a heterosexual relationship. In reality though, it's none of their business and they should accept someone no matter who they love or care for. It's not like you'd be able to change their minds anyway."

The boys were silent then, knowing now how much in the line of fire they truly were.

Mello finally spoke. "I'm not afraid of them. I've been called worse than what they'd be able to come up with. Besides, if they can't accept us, then they're missing out. I happen to like our family the way it is."

"Hear, hear!" Matt agreed.

Near unbuckled himself and climbed into my lap. "No matter what they say, we'll still be a family. Better than anyone else we meet."

L then cuddled up next to me. "You have a wonderful family here, Light. If they aren't able to see that, it's their loss."

I grinned a bit, hugging Near close. Just when I was beginning to think I'd calmed down though, the car came to a halt, and my heart began to race again.

I sighed. "Well, no turning back now. And we're only here for the day at any rate, so I might as well just calm down… and get this over with."

"That's the spirit, Light!" Matt exclaimed happily.

I couldn't help but smile at the boy. His positive mood was always a pick-me-up when I was down.

Wammy opened the door for us and we exited the limousine to greet the mansion-like house before us. My aunt was a wealthy lady – but not nearly as wealthy as L –and she loved to showcase the things she'd acquired over her years. Her husband, my uncle Camen, was a movie director and made more than thousands each year. Their kids, my cousins that they'd named Soma, Emma, and Jiro, were spoiled brats as children and hardly had to work for what they'd wanted. It was no wonder why I disliked them. They were all too prideful, too lax. I worked for my grades, for my life. The only thing I hadn't worked for was the chance to be L's right hand man. And that's only because I was involved with the man.

I growled under my breath, and was about to complain, when I heard a female voice calling after me.

When I'd looked, Sayu had jumped into my arms and squealed happily. She was now a fully-fledged adult, but she was still easy to swing around.

"Light! I missed you so much!"

She let go of me and jumped into L's arms. "I've missed you too, Ryuzaki!"

L hugged her back happily. "It's been a bore without you around, Sayu."

Mello nodded. "Yeah, nothing I do is exciting enough for them. Please come live with us and teach me your ways, oh master."

Sayu giggled and hugged Mello close. "I'd love to, but my boyfriend would miss me."

"Boyfriend?" I scoffed. "Who's the unlucky sap to end up with you?"

I earned a punch from her for that.

"I'll have you know, he's from dad's office. He's just started his first year as a cop, but he's a sweetheart all around."

I rubbed my, now bruised, arm. "And how long have you two been dating?"

"About a month. I asked him to come along to the reunion today."

L chuckled. "Making sure you aren't alone? You're smarter than Light gives you credit for."

"There he is now."

I looked over to where she gestured and behind my father – who looked rather annoyed to have him there – was a young man, lanky in form and unsure in his words, was a man I found all too familiar.

"Wait a minute, I know him. That's that guy who was dad's assistant four years ago. Matsuda, was it? That guys like five years older than you!"

"So?"

L chuckled again. "Someone's getting back at daddy."

This time she punched L's shoulder, giving him a matching bruise to mine.

"Stop it, the both of you. Dad invited him and some others over for dinner once, and we just got to know each other over the summer. He asked me out, and I said yes. I'm a legal adult, and I can do what I want."

I shrugged. "I guess it could be worse."

Matt giggled. "Yeah, she could have fallen for a forty-year-old."

"Ew, Matt!" Mello punched the gamer, making me wonder if punching was gonna be a theme today. "Don't put that image in my head!"

"What image? The one of her kissing a man two times her age? Or the image of her…?"

Mello kicked his crotch then, ultimately shutting him up and making him wish he hadn't said anything in the first place.

My father finally caught up to us, and hugged me close. "My boy, what a great day it is to see you again!"

The boys, except for Matt, ran up to hug my mother who almost choked them from the death grip she called a hug.

"We've missed you all so much!" My mother exclaimed. "How wonderful it is to be together again."

My father let me go and I smoothed out my clothes again. "Remember that we're only here for the day. I'd hate to be here for longer than that if Auntie Satomi I gonna start talking about us behind our backs again."

My mother scoffed. "My sister is unbearable, but after today we'll head back home with you and Ryuzaki and we can have a family reunion of our own."

Matt tried to stand up, but was hunched over a bit. "Hear, hear…" he wheezed.

Sayu ran to Matsuda's side, holding his arm. "As long as we don't get separated while here, I'll be fine."

Matsuda then looked at me with a nervous expression. "Uhm… it's… it's nice to formally meet you, Light. You're parents have said much." He then turned to L. "And to you, Ryuzaki. Light's father speaks quite highly of you."

L scoffed and mumbled. "Now that you're in the picture, I suppose."

I pinched his arm for going out of line. This was the attitude he couldn't have when we entered the house.

I bowed a bit to Matsuda. "It's wonderful to meet you as well, Mr. Matsuda. I hope you and my sister find many years of happiness together."

My father groaned. "You're supposed to be on my side, son."

"Yeah, that was before I fell into a gay relationship. As long as he's in the picture, you like Ryuzaki more so than you did before. So, I'm quite happy he's here today."

"Thanks!" Matsuda said happily before fully contemplating what I'd said. "I think."

Just when the mood was lightening up, the doors before us flung open and a tall, brown haired, dark eyed, beautifully dressed woman strutted her way towards us.

My aunt.

Ugh…

She strode her way towards my mother and hugged her tightly. "Sachiko! My baby sister, how are you!? Still enjoying the peasant life with that ape?"

My father's nostrils flared, a sign that he wasn't happy. We all managed to fake a smile though. Even L grinned a bit.

My mother chuckled half-heartedly. "Oh, I'm happy. Happier than I've ever been."

"Of course you are." She said as she rolled her eyes a bit, moving on to Sayu. "Oh, sweetheart, look at you! As beautiful as your mother was at your age! I just hope you make the right choices that your mother missed."

L leaned in towards me. "I see why you all dislike her so much." He whispered.

I leaned in as well. "You haven't seen her final form yet."

I suppose the boys caught this because they began giggling under their breath. Matt was having the most difficult time trying to hide it though, probably because he was adding on to the joke in his head. He'd need to keep that witty tongue of his inside his mouth if he wanted to live through today.

My aunt then turned to me. "And of course, Mr. Light Yagami! Graduated, top of his class, and as handsome as ever! You know," she began whispering, "There are a few girls I've been wanting you to meet…"

I stopped her right there. "Oh, no, auntie! I'm, well… I'm already taken."

She scoffed. "What? By who?"

"The correct response is 'whom' madam." L spoke up, folding his hand into mine. "And I believe Light was referring to me."

She gave L the most incredulous look. "Light, who is this man? And why is he contradicting me?"

I couldn't stop L's swift tongue and sharp wit. But I doubt anyone wanted me to try.

"I was not contradicting you, madam. I was correcting you, like I am now. If you're going to use 'big girl words' I suggest looking them up first."

My father had to turn away to hide the smile. The man was going to lose it if L continued to badger the illiterate woman.

"Furthermore, I would appreciate you speaking to me instead of indirectly to Light. It's rather rude to treat a guest so poorly."

My aunt stood up a bit straighter then, her expression of arrogance not leaving her face. "Alright, might I inquire as to who you are then?"

L grinned a bit more. "I am Light's partner. His boyfriend, if you will."

She paused a bit, looking at me, then to him. She then caught sight of the boys who were semi hiding behind us.

"And… who are they?"

"Didn't Ryuzaki just tell you it's rude to speak about someone like they aren't there?" Mello spoke up.

"Yeah, you're being pretty rude here, lady." Matt joined in.

Near didn't say anything, but he didn't look at my aunt. He simply continued to play with his bear.

My aunt took a deep breath. "My apologies. What are your names, young men?"

They each spoke their own names.

"Matt,"

"Mello,"

"Near."

She then turned to me. "And might I ask why you've brought them here?" Her voice had changed to a bit of annoyance now.

I smiled. "They're my boys. My family. I adopted them when they were kids with Ryuzaki. Surely that's not a problem. They are technically family now."

My aunt forced a bit of a smile on her face. "Of course not." She said as she turned away. "But we should all be getting inside. Everyone else has already arrived and the day has barely begun!"

She began walking to her house, taking one last glance at me and L, and we followed close behind. My father was walking beside us, trying his best not to laugh.

He patted L on the shoulder. "I now officially welcome you as my son-in-law. It takes guts to stand up to her the way you did."

L shrugged. "I'm not afraid of someone as moronic as her. She's barely worth my time. I'm only here for Light and the boys. I can suffer through this for them."

I kissed his cheek, smiling happily. "And that's why I love you so much."


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N: I couldn't help but smile when I wrote this! I've wanted to write something like this for a while and I finally got the chance!  
**_

_**Hope you all enjoy!**_

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**(Near P.O.V)**

Light had a bigger family than he let on. He had a few aunts and uncles, some great aunts and great uncles, his grandmother and grandfather, and about sixteen cousins. Some of them were my age, but I opted for playing alone. Mello and Matt stayed close to me, and all three of us kept Light and L in our sights, despite not being by his side personally. It had been his aunt's idea that we play with the other children, but we ended up just playing by ourselves.

Mello had brought a crossword puzzle book with him and had made a game of it with us. The one who got the most answers correct in a puzzle would win. It wasn't something most kids would find fun, but the fact that it both challenged our minds and helped us find out who was more knowledgeable about certain subjects made it fun for us. We were geniuses. Of course this was something we enjoyed.

Mello bit his pencil. "Seven letter word for 'edible crustacean'."

"Crab?" Matt asked.

We both looked at him, wondering how on earth he was a Wammy kid.

He looked up at us from his game, which he was playing while answering. Surprisingly, he did well.

"Sorry, all I heard was edible crustacean."

"Seven letter word, Matt." Mello repeated.

"Lobster." I answered, knowing it was correct.

He wrote it down. "Another point for Near. Watch it Matt, he may win another puzzle."

"Not likely. Keep reading, blondie." He demanded, not wanting to lose again.

Mello read out the next one. "Three letter word for another meaning of telekinesis."

"Psi!" The red head exclaimed.

"Point for Matt."

The gamer made a fist pump and had a bit of a celebration to himself.

Before Mello could read out the next question, there came a small voice.

"What are you guys doing?"

We all looked towards the voice and saw a small boy looking at us questioningly.

"Crosswords." Mello answered. "You would understand how to play, you're too young."

He pointed at me then. "But I'm almost the same age as him!"

"Physically, but not mentally." I explained.

Another kid suddenly appeared, one close to Matt and Mello's age.

"Hey Jared, why you hanging out with these weirdo's?"

Mello tried to hold in his laughter, and I could see why. This kid had the nerve to call us weirdoes when he himself looked like the aborted fetus of a peacock. Seriously, this kid had spikey, blue hair with piercings from his ear to his lip. And this guy was probably no older than Mello.

Matt chuckled. "Whatever you say, dude."

He took a step towards Matt to intimidate him, but the red head didn't move. He was too focussed on his game to really care what the peacock boy wanted.

"What did you just say to me?"

Mello had to facepalm with his crossword book. "Honestly, how is Light a part of this family? You think he was adopted too?"

"Maybe." I answered. "The numbers seem to be dwindling in intelligence here."

The peacock boy got enraged now. "Why don't you three just shut up!"

"Why don't you take a hike, kid?" Mello demanded as he read to himself the next puzzle.

The peacock boy took the book from Mello and the blonde started to get ill-tempered. He wasn't going to take this kind of abuse from a low-life like him.

"Give it back!" He demanded, getting up from his seat to look the guy in the eyes.

The peacock boy sneered at Mello. "Or what?"

Matt chuckled. "You are such a moron."

The kid took one look at Matt, but Mello had him pinned to the floor before he could even think of a response. The little boy, Jared, had run off crying to some other adult in the next room. All the other kids watched on as Mello ripped the book from the guy's hand and leaned in closer to threaten him.

"The next time I see you, you'd better hope an adult is around to protect you."

He let go of the peacock boy's wrist and laughed when he watched him run away, crying for his mother.

The blonde scoffed. "Wimp."

One look at the other kids in the room, and no one bothered us again.

Once Mello sat down again, there came a new voice in the room. This time, it was a woman's voice.

"'bout time someone showed that little brat what he deserved." Said the old lady voice. It was Light's grandmother.

Mello bowed a bit. "Thank you! I did my best."

She sat in a chair that was close to us, resting her cane on the side. She was a pretty old lady, with her silvery hair and thin but springy figure. Unlike the other adults, when we walked in she smiled at us instantly. She was a lovely woman, and I was happy to have met her.

She smiled at us. "You're my Night-Light's kids aren't you?"

We looked at each other before Mello repeated, "Night-Light?"

She giggled. "That's my nickname for Light. He used to be afraid of the dark when he was younger, so I bought him a nightlight and told him that as long as he had it, I would be there with him to scare away the monsters."

We all busted a gut giggling. Mello especially.

"Oh my god, no way! Blackmail at its finest here!"

Matt nodded. "I'm so putting that on my blog!"

The lady before us giggled along. "He's so embarrassed by the name, but I can't just give it up! He's my little Night-Light!"

Mello patted the lady's hand. "You're alright, granny. Can I call you granny?"

She leaned into the blonde and began to pinch his cheeks. "Only if I can call you blondie!"

Mello chuckled a bit trying to get free of Granny's grip. She laughed when he fell to floor after she let go.

"Oh, Light is so lucky to have you three. Ooh, and that Ryuzaki! All of you, smart, strong, independent, and very handsome!"

Matt turned off his game to look at her. "I like you, granny. You're my new favourite old person!"

She still smiled at us. "Thank you! And you will be my new favourite red-head!"

Matt fist pumped again. "Yes!"

I smiled at the lady, feeling my heart warm up a bit. "It's nice to have family that loves you."

She began to pet my hair in a soothing motion, making me lean in to her touch.

"I suppose you boys didn't have much of a family before Night-Light, hmm."

We all shook our heads. It was truer than true, we had nothing before Light and L inadvertently adopted us. But Light loved us so much, and L cared for us like his own. It was hard to imagine life without them. How lucky we were to have them in our lives.

I cuddled into her touch a bit more. "Do you really like us, Granny?"

He kissed my forehead. "What isn't there to like about you?"

* * *

**(Light P.O.V)**

I was losing my goddamned mind here. Not only was I being bombarded with questions on why I 'chose' to be gay, but also why I 'wasted my time' with Ryuzaki instead of some other guy. I was going to scream if one more person came up to me and asked something as completely stupid as that! I almost wanted to throw water in my face to stop me from yelling. Thank god my father and mother were there to help steer the conversations a few times.

My aunt kept up her charade of politeness, but more than just I myself knew she was just putting on an act.

L held onto my hand or arm the entire time we were there. My aunt never really spoke to him, probably afraid he'd embarrass her again, but asked about us in general.

One of my cousins piped in. "So Light, when did you find out you played for the other team? Surely it wasn't too long ago."

I shrugged. "I don't know. I just know that I'm happy where I am. I have a home, a family, and loving people. It doesn't matter how or when I got there. I'm just happy that I got there."

"Yes," my aunt spoke up a bit, "but what about the boys?"

I felt a twinge of anger, but kept it from bubbling over. "What about them?"

She scoffed. "Light, the boys are… well… how do I put this?"

I could feel L tense up through his touch. We both knew what she was going to say.

She sighed. "They aren't normal kids."

"So? Neither was I."

"What I mean is, their pasts are… bad. You didn't raise them from babies to teens, they were basically hand-me-downs."

I breathed in, trying not to get angry. "I don't know what you mean, my boys…"

"Light!"

I jolted at Near's voice and looked towards the little fluff-ball running towards me, crying.

He ran into my leg and began to sob. Mello and Matt were nowhere to be seen.

I picked him up and cuddled him a bit. Even if he was eleven, he was still small for his age, and I was able to pick him up once or twice.

"Near, what's wrong?"

Just then, Sayu and Matsuda ran in. "Light, you'd better come outside! Mello's in trouble!"

L ran ahead of me and I hurried behind him. I wasn't too sure Mello was the one in trouble here.

We ran to the backyard and saw the blonde and red-head holding down a kid with spikey blue hair. He had Near's teddy bear in his hands, the head in the left hand and the body in the right hand.

The kid finally dropped the bear and both Mello and Matt let go of the kid, picking up the respected pieces of the bear.

I set Near back on the ground and he ran to hug Mello. The blonde hugged him back, apologising for not having the bear in one piece.

My grandmother, a woman of high intellect and even higher pride, strode beside me, waving her cane. "That'll teach ya, you aborted peacock!"

"Gran," I demanded, "what happened?"

She scoffed. "That little, blue-haired, tyrant stole my sweet little Near's bear and ripped it in half! After he went to find you, blondie and Matt ran after him!"

I looked towards the two and Mello was still trying to comfort Near. At this point I was angry, not at Mello, but at the little bastard he'd pinned to the ground for ripping the bear I'd given Near for his tenth birthday.

Before I could say anything, though, my aunt stepped in. "You see, Light? Those boys are broken! You shouldn't have adopted them!"

I think my eye twitched. "Excuse me?! Are you really gonna stand there and ignore the fact that that little tyrant son of yours just ripped my boy's toy in two?!"

"Light, they aren't _your_ boys! They're some crackheads or drunks kids! They're probably coke children for all you know!"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing from this woman. What an absolutely horrible thing to say about my boys.

"And furthermore, my son is perfect angel. He was probably just playing when your blonde ball of rage over there snapped and attacked him!"

Near shook his head. "That's a lie!"

"Face it, Light." She continued. "You took a gamble on some messed up children, and now you have to deal with the consequences."

Before L had a chance to step in and throw down with the woman, I snapped.

"You know what, Satomi, you are a heartless, dimwitted, egotistical bitch, who thinks the world revolves around the choices you make! You think EVERYTHING you do, is the right way! And you think you're so high and mighty because you married into money, but the truth is you hate me! That's right! You, fucking, hate me! You hate me, my family, my mother and father, and my sister! Why? Because we have something that you will NEVER have for as long as you live, because you're too bitter and cold to ever know the true meaning of it! Love! THAT'S something you will never, EVER, have! Not from me, not from my family, not even from your own sister! Why? Because we hate you! In fact, the only reason I'm here at all is to see the people I love! My mother, my father, my sister, and my grandmother. But you? NO! NO, I'VE HAD IT WITH YOU!

"I hope that the next family reunion you dream up of, no one shows up!"

I strode over to Near, who was wide eyed along with Mello and Matt, and picked him up. "We're leaving. Have a nice life, you disrespecting whore!"

With that I turned away and headed for the gate, my boys following behind. Of course Matt had to add on to my rant with his own flare.

He picked up two sticks, rubbed them together, made the sound of a fire sparking up, and yelled, "BURN!" Right at the woman.

L seemed more than pleased as he kissed my cheek, smile wide on his face. "Now that's the man I fell in love with!"

I admit, I was rather proud of myself for the whole tirade, but I wondered just how much of a bridge I'd burnt.

As I buckled in Near inside the limousine, I heard my father call out to me.

"We'll be arriving at your house later, Light! Some of the family too!" He was laughing as well. "Gran wants to congratulate you for growing the pair none of us could!"

L chuckled. "I admit, that was some show you put on."

Before he could laugh again, I grabbed hold of his collar and pulled him into a kiss. My sudden affection took him by surprise and it took him a moment before he kissed me back.

When I let him go, I smiled happily.

"No one insults my family."


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N: Kind of a fluffy/M rated chapter here guys. You have been warned. XD  
**_

_**Anyways, sorry for not posting earlier, but I've been in a bit of a slump. :/ I hope the chapter's not too sucky because of it.**_

_**Well, all things aside, Enjoy! Reviews welcomed!**_

* * *

**(L P.O.V)**

"Have I ever told you how incredibly sexy you are when you shout, Light?"

The man rolled his eyes at me again. "I already told you, it's not happening tonight. Not with most of my family, and the boys in the house."

"I'll be quiet! You can count on that! Besides, seeing you yell at your aunt put me in the mood."

Light shook his head, but his smile still remained. I'd been trying for an hour now to get Light to loosen up and come to bed with me, but he was being stubborn. I guess it would have been better to wait until we were on our own instead of having a house crammed with people, but I was too sure we wouldn't get caught.

"Light, don't make me beg." I pleaded. "You know you want it as badly as I do."

He lined the glasses on the tray and picked it up. Before entering the room in front of us where most of his family awaited, he kissed my cheek. "Looks as though you're gonna have to wait awhile."

I glared. "How long is 'awhile', exactly?"

"Until everyone leaves the house, and the boys are asleep."

"So, never?"

He didn't answer. He just took the tray into the living room as I followed behind. If he thought he was going to get away from me, he thought wrong.

While he served the drinks to everyone I snuck out to the backyard and around to the front. Not many times was I desperate for alone time with Light, but today he'd managed to make me want him more than ever before. I don't know if it had been the way he stood up for his boys, or the cussing, but something about it all made me quiver with want and desire.

At the front I found Sayu and Matsuda, getting a breath of air before going back inside to face the family.

I strode up to her, a smile on my face. "Sayu, you're looking as lovely as ever."

She gave me a look. "What do you want, Ryuzaki."

Sharp. Just like her brother.

"I need you to get Light out of the house and down the street some ways."

She cocked an eyebrow at me. "Care to explain _why_ you need him out of the house?"

I kept up my smile. "You don't want to know. Just try to remember you never spoke to me."

The glint in her eye said she was all for it. "Where do you need him to go?"

I gestured for her to lean in and I whispered. "I have more than one house here in England. Some are for my… work." I said as I made sure Matsuda hadn't heard me. "And one's like this are just for small get-togethers. I also have a hotel room on standby in case anything goes wrong with my other houses. I need you to direct Light to the hotel not far from here. If you do that, I'll pay you handsomely."

"How handsome we talkin' here?"

"Hideki Ryuga handsome."

She stuck out her hand. "You got a deal! What's the plan!?"

* * *

I trusted Sayu wholeheartedly to help me complete my mission. Any moment now, Light would be coming to my hotel room thinking he was picking up a relative. She'd even called me and said he was on his way. The poor man had no idea he was in a web of deceit. Although, with the mommy senses, I would've guess he'd put up some form of suspicion.

Well, as long as I got my way, what did I care if he knew or not.

I watched from the hotel window as his car pulled up and the keys were given to the valet to park. I instantly knew that he was more than aware that I was behind all this.

Before long, a knock came at the door and his voice rang out from the other side.

"Sayu told me everything. Only because Matsuda ruined the plan for you by letting it slip."

Dammit Matsuda! How moronic can one get?

I leaned against the door. "Well she can forget about me paying her then."

"Hey at least she tried."

I chuckled to myself. "Would you like to come in, Light-kun? I should let you know, there's a price for entry."

"I'm well aware, Ryuzaki. But you might as well open up. I'm willing to ante up."

Music to my ears.

I opened the door and found the brunette smiling at me. "You know, it wasn't a bad plan. People would have taken care of the boys, we'd be finished before anyone gets suspicious, and we get alone time. You really have your work cut out for you."

I had to smile at the compliment. "So where do they think you are right now?"

"Out getting ice for their drinks."

"Hmm, I don't know that there's ice anywhere in Winchester right now." I purred as I took his hand and pulled him in. "You may have to go to London."

He closed the door behind him. "That'll take some time." He now pulled me further into the room, getting closer to the bed.

"And what if you got stuck in traffic?"

Light placed his hands on the back of my neck, intertwining his fingers in my hair. "I'm sure my parents won't mind looking after the boys for a bit."

No more words were said. We locked lips and our night began.

I loved Light more than I could possibly say. I loved him for his mind, his intelligence, his looks and emotions. But what I loved most was how in sync he was with me, even when it came to sex. He knew me better than anyone, and it was more than I could ask for in a partner.

I gently pushed him onto the bed and kissed his neck like he enjoyed. I could feel him shudder underneath me and I smiled to myself. If I could make a man like him shudder from my touch, and want more, I knew he was right for me. It's all I'd wanted from him since the day I'd met him. How badly I'd wanted him to love me as much as I did him.

Now here we were. Together. Despite everything I'd been told in my life, I was with someone who loved me as much as I loved them.

At the thought of all the times we had run around behind his parent's backs, all the times we sinned together, and all the times he'd asked when we could do it again, I felt myself become filled with lust for the man again.

I nipped at his neck and licked the small wound I'd created. This made the man moan underneath me, and I repeated the action. Nipping, licking, biting, and massaging his torso, it was all I need to do for him to completely melt into my touch. When I'd stop or pause he'd whimper, and it only made my jeans tighter and tighter. The more I teased the more I wanted him, and the more he touched me the more I needed him.

I very nearly tore off his shirt as he unbuckled my pants. We were both lost in this hazy state of desire and longing, neither one of us thinking about the time or where we were. Before long we were both completely stripped, still clinging to each other.

I kept up my kisses and nips to his neck, remembering the words Light had said to his aunt. How she would never know what love was. How she could never know what it was to be loved. And he was so right.

She'd never know love like this. A love where two people _want_ to beside each other, embraced and warm. I thought I'd never know this love myself. I thought I'd be alone for the rest of my life. Desperate, hopeless, and wishing.

Here he was, though. Here was the man I loved, who loved me back. Maybe that's why I'd wanted him all to myself this evening. He'd said he'd known a love his aunt would never know. Maybe I'd wanted him to prove it.

I felt a tear roll down my cheek. "I love you, Light."

Through his hazy state he looked me in the eye. "L? What are you…?"

I kissed his neck again, but with more passion. "I've always loved you, and I've never been more happy than to have you in my life. I know I never say it enough to you, and I know I don't deserve a man as perfect as you, but I need you to know how incredibly lucky I feel just to be beside you most days. I know you deserve so much better than me, and some days I wish I could be the partner worthy of your time, and I get sick of myself when I end up being less than that. Please forgive me, Light."

There was a pause before Light sat up as gently as he could so he could look me in the eye. "What brought this on?"

I shrugged a bit. "The way you spoke with your aunt made it sound like you've known a love unlike any other, when I've been less than that. And I suppose I've realized now how much I take you for granted."

The man before me locked his lips with mine and I lost myself in his touch. It was so passionate, so full of love. I was almost saddened when he'd let go for air.

"I don't ever want you to repeat those words to me again. You have always been worth my time, and more often than not you've proven how much you love me. Maybe there are days where I'd like you to tell me, but you say it in your own ways that make me feel like I'm the most important person in your world."

I scoffed. "How so?"

The brunette folded his arms behind my neck and cuddled me close. "Like when you share your cake with me, or you massage my shoulders without me asking." He then looked me in the eye. "Or when you suffer through an unbearable family reunion just to make me happy." He held my face then, his eyes filled with love. "How could you possibly think that all that means nothing to me? Yes, they're simple and small gestures, but it's not something you'd do for everyone."

I felt my heart quake at his words. Had I truly earned his love? Was I worthy of his time?

He locked lips with mine again and I got lost in his touch once more, leaning back onto the pillows and spreading his legs a bit.

"L," he purred, "Ryuzaki… if you didn't deserve me, I wouldn't give myself to you so willingly. You've always deserved my love and affection. And I'll always love you from the bottom of my heart."

I couldn't help but quiver at his words. How could I have been so unsure?

Passion overcame me once again and I locked lips with Light, entering him swiftly. He flinched for a quick second before relaxing and enjoying the feeling once more. I had no more words to say to him. I wanted to enjoy this night with my partner… with my love.

By the end of our alone time together, Light had been the one to insist on calling the house and asking his parents to look after the boys thanks to the 'car breaking down', forcing us into a motel until morning. They'd offered to come get us, but Light had to quickly reassure them that we were fine and would be back in the morning. Ultimately, the man only made me fall for him more because of his outright ability to lie on the spot. It also scared me for what may come on the future when he became better at it than me.

But, for the present day, I felt at peace.

I was always told by teachers and adults that love at first sight was nonexistent, and they were partially correct. I'd known I had an attraction to Light from the moment I met him, but meeting the _real_ him was what made me fall for him completely. I still wondered what it was I had done to make him fall for me as well. But why question a good thing?

I was happy. Light was happy. And my successors… my boys were happy.

Why question it?


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N: Well, I'm done for the night. I'll see you all tomorrow!  
**_

_**Once again, thank you for all the support and I hope you enjoy the next chapter!**_

* * *

**(Mello P.O.V)**

I was officially losing my mind with the dominoes. I'd only made one straight line and that had been weeks ago! Now I can barely get half a circle done! And even if I did get the circle done, I'd have to do a triangle afterwards! The only thing good about any of this was L and Light weren't here to make fun of me. They'd gone out that night for 'alone time' and that left us with Nan, Sofu, and Granny. Not that their company wasn't appreciated, but I seriously did not want to lose my temper in front of them.

Nan and Sofu had gone to bed, as well as Matt and Near, but I'd stayed up to try again with the dominoes. Granny stayed up as well but her husband – Light's grandfather who we nicknamed pops – had fallen asleep in his chair. He actually seemed to sleep a lot more than we did, but I never called him on it. He was a sweet man… when he was awake.

The dominoes fell over again and I face-planted onto the carpet. I was SO done with this!

Granny chuckled a bit. "Having trouble finding balance?"

My eye twitched. "More than you know."

"It's very difficult to master the art of balance. If you use too much force, the weight will fall more easily. But if you are too gentle, you become too dependent and nervous. You must find balance in both the strengths and weaknesses."

I combed my air away from my eyes. "But I don't know how to do that! And every time I think I've got it, it becomes a mess in the end! More times than not it's not even me that's causing them to fall!"

"No, young one. It is always you who is to blame for its shoddy placement. If you cannot find what it is _you_ are doing wrong, you cannot learn."

What she had said sounded so familiar to me I had to sit up just to rethink it. What I was doing wrong? What could I be doing wrong? I was placing them, like I'd been instructed to. Was there something I wasn't looking at?

She chuckled again. "Stop thinking so much, blondie. You're losing sight at what's truly important here. Take a deep breath and calm your nerves."

I did as asked and awaited instruction again.

"While you sit there, tell me what you hear but keep your eyes shut."

I did as told, shutting my eyes and listening. I could hear… crickets… from outside. Pop snoring slightly. Small creaks in the house almost unnoticeable. I could hear my own heartbeat too. It had started out fast but had slowed down greatly.

I rattled off these things to her. "Good. Now what do you feel?"

I took another breath. "Cold… like a slight breeze is hitting me."

"What else?"

I took another breath. "My hair lightly touching my face. The cold floor. My shirt on my skin…"

"Good, my child. Now open your eyes and look at the dominoes, but don't react to them."

I did as told. I breathed in and out to stop my emotions from flowing.

"The rest is up to you now. What would _you_ like to do?"

I tried not to think about it. Instead, I allowed my arm to move forward on its own and stack the domino back up. Then the second… then the third… and I soon lost count.

I remember getting up… moving around… placing the tiles… the dominoes… and before I knew it, I'd made a circle with all the dominoes.

Granny smiled at me. "You have not achieved perfect balance yet, blondie. But you have come close to mastering meditation."

I flinched when she said that and the dominoes fell the moment I'd done so. But… how…? It didn't make sense…

"Part of meditation," she began once more, "is achieving peace with yourself. You have so much built up anger and sadness in you, that you take it out on others. And when others are not around, you take it out on yourself. You're movements are harsh, signifying your mistrust towards others. Someone has hurt you in your past, and you cannot find it in your heart to forgive him."

My breathing had become erratic and I stepped back from the woman. "How… how could you possibly know…?"

"Because I am able to read your past in your eyes."

My… my eyes? What did she mean…?

She welled up with tears now, myself following suit. "Someone in your past took away your innocence, and you feel it is unfair that others have theirs. You have been broken and bruised, but you will not allow yourself to heal. You feel your pain makes you strong, and you are unsure how to show weakness."

I backed away from her some more. Memories of what that man had done to me… chaining me, hitting me… violating me in ways no child should have ever gone through. The way my parents had looked at me afterwards. The disgust. The utter lack of interest. Like they had been looking at all the memories I had to suffer through. Like they imagined the man forcing his way into my being.

How much I hated myself after all that.

I fell to my knees and covered my ears. My tears flowing down my cheeks like streams.

"Please stop. I don't want to hear anymore." I begged. "I don't want to remember…"

"Mello, it's not that you don't want to remember. It's that you don't want to forget." She paused allowing me to look up at her. "It is so easy to hate and be resentful of everything, but it takes real strength to forgive."

I shook my head angrily. "I can't forgive him! Not for what he did to me!" I began to shake with rage. "You don't understand… he humiliated me! He took me from my home, he chained me and beat me! He completely violated me! I was treated worse than any animal ever could be treated! And you want me to FORGIVE him!?"

I thanked all the gods there were that pops was still asleep and no one else had heard me rant. I admit, I had been a little too loud for how late it really was.

Granny got up from her seat and walked towards me. She then knelt down in front of me and caressed my cheek.

"I'm not asking you to forgive him. I'm asking you to forgive yourself. Some part of you believes you were wronged by his actions, and that because you were helpless it was all your fault. You can't hang on to the anger forever, young one. What has been done is done. Accept what has happened and move on. Only after you let go of the pain, the anger, the guilt, and the memories can you achieve perfect balance."

I was shaking now, not from anger, but from fear. I didn't want to forget. I didn't want to let him win.

I looked down at the dominoes. "So, why did Ryuzaki give me the tiles then? He said they'd help with finding balance."

Granny pulled me into a hug. "You'll find out in due time. Once you've mastered meditation, you'll learn what they are for."

I hadn't liked the way she said that. Like there was something that she wasn't telling me. Something important. But I decided not to question her. She said I'd find out in time.

I guess I just had to wait and see.


	15. Chapter 15

_**A/N: Really short chapter here guys, but I needed a plot change for the next chapter. Hopefully it'll be up later today, but I've ben kinda less in the mood to write. Maybe I need a vacation for a while. (No I'm not kidding this time.)  
**_

_**Anyways, I hope you all enjoy, and thank you all again for the marvelous support!**_

* * *

**(Matt P.O.V)**

It took a bit of work, but I finally managed to fix Near's bear before the week ended. It had taken me some time because his bear was so messily ripped, but thankfully I was able to save it. The little ball of fluff was ecstatic to have his bear back and hugged it almost immediately upon receiving it. He'd loved that bear since the day Light had given it to him, but I wondered if his love would still be there in the next few weeks.

Near would be turning twelve soon and I still hadn't gotten a gift for him yet. Neither had Mello, but the blonde hadn't cared to even think about the kid's birthday. Since Near was going to have celebrated twelve years, an even dozen, I decided to make Mello care.

I'd found him outside trying to meditate when I'd pushed him with my foot to get his attention.

The blonde snarled at me. "What was that for!?"

"You need to listen! Near's birthday is in a few weeks' time and we've got nothing to give him! Come on, dude! The guy is turning twelve! That's a huge step in his life!"

"Barely." He mumbled, standing up from his spot. "Besides, even if I wanted to get him a gift, I have no source of income. How would I get him anything?"

"I'm in the same boat here, but at least I'm trying!"

I groaned a bit, pinching my brow. We had to do _something_ for the kid, but what?! Neither I nor Mello had any money, and we only a few weeks to really think of something.

Mello sighed. "Well, we could make something."

I gave him a look of exhaustion. "Like what, another stuffy? He has a million of those."

"Well then what _do_ you give a twelve year old boy with the mind of a five year old!? A pony!?"

"I don't know! Near's a difficult kid to shop for. We might as well give him a card if nothing else."

"I don't know that he'd appreciate it. Robots like him have no human emotion or attachment to anything."

I elbowed him. "Quit with the insults, Near doesn't…" and then it dawned on me. "THAT'S IT!"

"What? What's it?"

"Mello, you are a beautiful genius!" I pulled him into a kiss I was so elated.

When I'd let him go he was more than weirded out by me. "Dude, are you feeling alright?"

"Never better! You just gave me an idea!" I pulled him in to whisper in his ear my plan for Near's gift. He'd been unsure at first but I could see in his eyes how perfect I really was.

But would we have time?

"It can't be made of metal, though." The blonde suggested. "It has to be plastic or anything in between that isn't too sharp. We want him to be able to use it as a toy."

"I could get Watari to go out and look for the parts we need! Maybe L and Light will help out!"

"No, not them! They should be surprised too!"

"Can we finish it before then, though?" I asked worriedly.

"I'd like to see someone try to stop us!" He said enthusiastically. "Besides, maybe working on it will give me time off from the whole meditation thing."

I smiled happily. "Well let's get started then! I'll go find Watari, you find the items we need to complete it!"

"Gotcha boss!"

We went our separate ways in a hurry. We knew this project would take a while, but we had to try and finish it before Near's birthday. Hopefully he'd love it as much as any of his stuffys.


	16. Chapter 16

_**A/N: Alright, I've decided to take the next few days off of writing guys. I know I post almost every day, but now it's putting a bit of strain on me. So, I'll be gone until, let's say, Thursday. I hope you all don't hate me too much for leaving, but I do need a break every now and then.  
**_

_**If I post anything tomorrow, I wouldn't expect anything more than one chapter, but it's highly unlikely I'll be posting for a while.**_

_**Anyways, I'll see you all in a few days and I hope you all enjoy the chapter!**_

* * *

**(Near P.O.V)**

When I'd woken up that day I was smiling a bit more than usual. I was happy because it was my birthday. And unlike what I'd had with my birth parents, L and Light always made my birthday a celebration. Everyone celebrated their birthdays, even Mello. Light insisted upon it since we were his family. And he was more than happy to do this for us.

When I'd gotten out of bed I didn't have to wait long before Light came in to greet me with birthday wishes and a gift from him and L.

I was just happy to receive a hug from him.

He picked me up and gave me a cuddle. "My little Near is twelve today."

I cuddles closer. "But not grown up. You won't be saying goodbye to me any time soon."

The brunette kissed my head. "And I'm very thankful for that."

Once he set me back on the floor I noticed that Mello and Matt weren't in their beds. Had they forgotten what day it was?

Light saw my frown. "Don't worry Near, I'm sure they remembered. They're probably just eating breakfast in the cafeteria right now."

"Speaking of breakfast." Came the voice of L.

We both looked to see the man walk in with a tray of breakfast items prepared with the utmost care. Eggs, bacon, grapefruit, and a glass of orange juice, all for me. I was happy to see that I'd be eating like a king today.

"Wammy was more than happy to cook for you today, Near. He's even making you your favourite dinner."

I smiled happily at this. The parents I had beforehand would have never gone this far. In fact, I'm too sure the last time I had a birthday with them, they said, 'Is today your birthday? Damn.'.

I think I got a pretty good upgrade from that.

L placed the tray on the desk and afterwards gave me a hug. "Happy birthday, Near."

I hugged back, still smiling. I loved what I had here, more than anything else. I had two parents that loved me, and two brothers who defended and cared for me. Maybe the whole being adopted thing was something Matt, Mello, and I all fell into. But the leap had taken us where we were truly appreciated and loved. It was so much more than what we had before.

After I finished my breakfast and had opened L and Light's gift – a pack of Tarot cards from L, and a small penguin stuffy from Light – I hugged the two with all my might. The day had only just started and it was going perfectly.

Once I'd sat down with my new stuffy and began fooling around with the tarot cards – L watching and asking questions – I hadn't noticed the blonde and gamer sneak into the room. I was too wrapped up in the tarot cards to really care either. I was always fascinated by tarot cards since the day I'd first seen one at a fair not too long ago. There had been an old woman who asked if I'd wanted my fortune read by the cards, but Light had dragged me away before I could say yes. He said something about women like her cheated people out of their money, and he wouldn't have me waste my coin on her. I suppose he'd been correct, but after that I'd asked for a deck of my own tarot cards.

I suppose L couldn't resist getting them for me because I know Light wanted nothing to do with the future and how it was portrayed in cards. I don't know if he was superstitious, or just thought it was all absurdity, but I thought it was cool.

I finally took notice of the two boys and the fact that they had their hands behind their backs. They were definitely hiding something.

At my curious look, Matt spoke. "Well, we wanted to get you a separate gift each…"

"But times are tough, and Light won't raise our allowance…" Mello interjected.

"You get fifty pounds a week from L. Each." Light growled out. "Whatever you chose to spend it on was your misfortune."

"But…!" Matt started up again. "We _did_ get you a gift, Near."

"We would've given it to you this morning, but we had to put the finishing touches on it."

Before long, the two held out a wrapped up box with a large silvery bow on it. It was so expertly wrapped I almost felt ashamed that I had to destroy the work put into the shining paper.

I took the box from their hands and began to unwrap it carefully. When I'd gotten to the box, I expertly cut the tape with my thumbnail and opened up the lid. Once it was all opened, my jaw dropped. Inside was a gleaming, silvery painted robot toy. It was so expertly made it made me speechless. No store label on it or anything. Mello and Matt had made it all by themselves. For me.

I took out the robot and found it was made of both plastics and metals. The body and ligaments were plastic, but the little add-ons and joints were all metal. But that wasn't all.

"We completely rigged this thing up to go." Mello said proudly. "Matt did some wiring and made it battery operated. It even has a lazar pointer on its wrist to make a gun… type… thingy."

"Mello put the whole thing together, though." Matt countered. "I just did the design work, but he made the body and arms and stuff."

"Well I say Matt did most of the work because he did all the wiring and stuff." Mello passed. "He even made it so each button makes him light up in some ways."

At this I immediately pushed one of the buttons and the robot turned to a red colour. I smiled at the feat they'd been able to accomplish. Maybe it wasn't much, but…

"It also can walk around a bit." Matt said excitedly. "Go ahead! Flip the switch on its side!"

I did as told and the robot started moving in my hands. When I set it down it began to walk on its own, lighting up and flickering while making odd but realistic, old timey, robotic sounds. The whole scene made me smile happily.

"It also glows in the dark." Mello added, but it didn't sound like he was too proud of that. More like he added that feature on as a bonus.

"I'm sorry." L spoke up. "_You_ _two_ made this!?"

"How did we not know about it?" Light asked incredulously.

"Because we're sneaky," Mello started,

"Smart," Matt added,

"And know how to keep a secret."

"Even from you guys."

The two adults in the room sighed and – or – rolled his eyes. _I_ on the other hand, ran up and hugged the two as tightly as I could. This had to be the kindest and most awesome thing they had ever done for me. And I couldn't love them anymore for it. Not even if I tried to.

They hugged me back. "Happy birthday, Near." They said in unison.

I began to tear up a bit. "Thank you. I love you guys."

Matt hugged me tighter. "We love you too, Near."

When Mello didn't say anything, Matt smacked his head.

"Oh shut up, you know I love him. Just because I don't say it you guys think I'm heartless."

I cuddled into Mello a bit more. Even if he wouldn't say it too often, I knew he loved me.

And I loved him.

Always.


	17. Chapter 17

_**A/N: Ahh! A nice rest did wonders! I know two days doesn't seem like much of a rest, but it got me back into writing, so I'd say it was well needed!  
**_

_**Just so you all know, though, I'll be posting a new chapter WAY later tonight or early tomorrow, because the rest of my time has to be used in preparing for a job interview. Also, if I get the job, I may be posting less than m usual standards so... be prepared.**_

_**Also, once again, I'd like to thank all my followers for sticking with me while I was away - I know it's tough to wait for chapters, believe me - but the fact that you waited patiently and didn't give me a hard time is much appreciated. :)**_

_**A bit of a warning, this chapter is rather... unpleasant... so if you aren't comfortable with Mello's disturbing past - hint - I'd skip past the italicized parts.**_

_**With all this being said, I hope you enjoy! :D**_

* * *

**(Mello P.O.V)**

_I felt my heart run rampant in my chest. I was too scared to even breathe. He chain on my wrist was hurting from being too tight, and my whole body was shaking in fright. I had no idea what was going to happen to me, but I had the faintest idea it wouldn't be good._

_The silk sheets beneath me made my stomach churn. I wanted to throw up at the thoughts of what may happen to me. Would he kill me this time? I wished he would. Death was more preferable than what that man… than what that monster was actually going to do. Why did I always question what he'd do when I knew full well what his intentions were? Every time he'd come to our manor he'd treat me differently from the other members of my family. He stroked my hair, caressed my face, and I thought it was nothing._

_How wrong I was._

_He finally entered the room then, taking off his gloves as he looked at me. His eyes dark and cold, but filled with a sinful lust._

_"What a shame I have to lock you up, my little dove. You're so beautiful, so flawless! It's like heaven sent down an angel just for me."_

_I was too young to fight back with him. I'd tried when he'd nabbed me, but it was futile. He was stronger, quicker, and more agile. _

_But I could still speak._

_"Please. Let me go. I just want to go home. I want to see my mother and father again. I want my family."_

_"I _am_ your family, Mihael. I want you more than they do, and if you had cooperated in the beginning you wouldn't be chained, my dove."_

_"Please stop calling me that!" I begged. "I want to go home!"_

_"You _are_ home." He spoke again, his voice never leaving his lust-filled tones. "You belong to me now. And you will do as I say, or suffer the consequences."_

_I began to cry. I couldn't hold the tears in anymore. "Please, just kill me already."_

_"Kill you? Why would I do that," he asked, crawling onto the bed, "when you're so much more useful to me when you're alive?"_

_I tried to kick him away, but he was quicker and had had me pinned to the bed in seconds. He didn't care to chain my legs, knowing it would just be a pain to strip me because of it, but he made damn sure that at least one of my hands was chained to the bed._

_His breath smelled horrid. Cigarette smoke and wine, mixed with the smell of roasted nuts. It was not pleasant. But my disgust of the monster didn't stop him from planting kisses all along my neck and jawline. He was sick, monstrous, disgusting, impure, and so many other things. I was only five at this age, but I still knew what he was doing was wrong. And, had I gotten my way, I would have committed suicide the moment he'd unchain me from him._

_I'd had my opportunities. When his maid would unchain me to allow me access to the bathroom, I'd make a break for the window and try to jump, but no success. Now the monster himself would personally make sure I was in his sights at all times, or chained to his bed. This including watching me in the bathroom no matter what I was doing. More times than not he forced me to bathe in front of him._

_The monster's lips travelled south towards my chest and his hands on my thighs. I couldn't fight back for the life of me. I knew he'd only hit me for disobeying him anyways._

_At times like this I tried to think of ways to escape within my mind. Escape to places where none of this was happening to me. Where I was a normal kid, happy and healthy, and no one wanted me for more than friendship. But once the pain set in, I couldn't focus on my escape anymore._

_I finally felt the pain when he'd entered me. I thought this time my escape would be strong enough to defy him, but I was wrong. The stinging, the ripping… it was too much._

_I screamed but he covered my mouth with his vile hand._

_"Hush, my dove. You can take it. And you know I don't want to hurt you on purpose."_

_A tear fell down my cheek and I began to choke on my sobs. He wiped away my tears, sometimes licking them. I shuddered when he did that._

_"What a perfect specimen you are." He whispered into my ear, thrusting once. "So absolutely perfect. I wish I could stay like this forever."_

_I finally felt the vomit arise from my stomach when he thrust again. He still had his hand over my mouth though so I had to swallow it back. However, there was too much and through the hand I…_

I released all the food I'd eaten that day on my bed, shaking and sobbing uncontrollably. I already knew I'd woken up Matt and Near, but I hadn't cared. I just kept vomiting and crying, sniffling and hiccupping. I felt weak and disgusted, but relieved at the same time. Relieved, because it had all been a dream. Well, a memory, but at least I wasn't chained to that monster anymore.

Light suddenly burst in with Near on his tail. The man came to my side immediately and dragged me off the bed, but the vomit wouldn't stop. It was useless to get me into the bathroom at this point, but I think Light just wanted me to have more space. I suppose it helped a bit. I felt less trapped than before.

Light looked up at Matt and Near and commanded them to go to his room where L was. They left without question and soon it was just me and Light.

I finally stopped puking after what seemed like hours, and my tears began to dry. This dream… how it affected me so much… it was scary.

I tried to look up at the brunette to apologize for the mess.

Light patted my back. "Don't worry about the mess. We'll have it cleaned in no time." He reassured. Maybe it wasn't so bad having him read minds.

I tried to sit up but I was too weak to do so, and ended up falling into Light's arms. He didn't move, but hugged me close. Trying to reassure me everything would be alright.

"Some nightmare, hmm."

I nodded. "I was terrified. I thought it was all a dream."

"What do you…?"

"I thought you and L were all a dream. That I had no family, no Matt or Near, no Wammy. I thought I was still chained to him. I thought I was still his prisoner. The thought made me too sick to control myself." I began to shiver. "I'm still scared it's a dream."

Light hugged me tighter. "I'm right here, Mello. None of this is a dream. I'm right here, with you, and we're at Wammy's orphanage. You're alright now."

I snuggled into his arms a bit more and nodded. But I knew this relief wouldn't last for more than a few nights. Maybe not even that long.

I kept my gaze away from Light. "Granny said that in order to achieve balance, I need to forgive what happened to me. But she's wrong."

Light hadn't said a word. He'd only loosened his grip on me a bit.

I finally looked up at him. "Light, if I want these nightmares to stop, I need to eliminate them somehow. And the only way I could do that…" I paused, feeling a new anger build up inside of me. "Is to eliminate the monster who caused them."

Light blinked, his face contorting to fear and worry. "Mello, think about what you're saying."

"I am! I want him gone, and _I _want to be the one to exterminate him! If he's gone for good I can rest in peace for once!"

"Mello, you're talking about killing someone! No matter what, ending a life is still ending a life! It's not as easy as you want to believe."

"It will be easy." I growled. "For me it will. That monster took from me what I will never get back. And I want to do the same to him. For taking away my life I want to take away his life. That's more than fair for the damage he's caused me."

Light was silent for a very long time. His face no longer fearful, but more sad. Like he understood that what I'd wanted was right, but thought it was more than wrong for me to want.

Finally, he sighed. "If you know the name of your abductor, of the monster you had to face, and he is in L's system, I'll talk to him about letting you have your revenge."

I smiled a bit, but Light got angry.

"Don't even dare smile at this, Mello!" He growled at me. "I hope you realize the precautions of all this! It's not easy to end a life, no matter whose life it is you're ending! Revenge is a dirty, evil, word, and it corrupts the minds of people less intelligent than you! And before you kill him, I want you to look inside yourself and tell me if it's what will truly make you happy again!"

I shook a bit at Light's words, but my mind was made up.

"I want to do this, Light. He can't live on knowing he got what he wanted!"

Light hung his head in anger. "Fine. But I hope you know what you're doing."

My hand clenched into a fist.

"I know full well what I'm doing."

_'I'm ridding this world of one less monster.'_


	18. Chapter 18

_**A/N: Well, a few chapters today, but I have all day tomorrow to write for you guys! If my sinus' clear up and stop my headaches, I can see about four chapters tomorrow! :)  
**_

_**Thank you all again for the wonderful support, and I'll see you all tomorrow!**_

* * *

**(Light P.O.V)**

L had agreed to let Mello take his revenge, but it still left him feeling as cold as I did. The poor blonde was so consumed with anger and hate that he was being clouded by it. I highly doubted he knew right from wrong anymore.

My Mello was slipping.

L found the man who'd wronged him and Mello confirmed who it was. L used his connections to make the law look the other way and allow the blonde his revenge. It took some doing, but we were on our way now to finish the deed. L, Mello, and I were all headed towards an open, but abandoned car lot. From there, Mello would be given a firearm. The rest was his business. L and I were only going to make sure Mello knew what he was doing.

L leaned into me when Mello wasn't paying attention. "Light, when Mello completes his mission, we're gonna have to move him from Near and Matt's room."

"What?" I whispered. "Why?"

"Mello's actions will not go unnoticed in the house. He'll need to be put in the special rooms, the one's where Peter used to sleep."

"He'll be under surveillance then. Watched to make sure he doesn't hurt anyone." I guessed the rest. "But Mello would never…"

"Light, we've thought that way beforehand, and twice has it almost cost someone their lives."

"Twice? What do you mean twice? Peter…"

L sighed. "It was a long time before Peter… before Mello, Matt, or Near. But there was someone else in the orphanage who was the one to first start the special rooms. He went by B. Him and A were my first successors, but A couldn't handle the pressure and he committed suicide. B was furious, and he attacked me when he thought I'd been the one to cause his death. It was terrible, but we had to lock B away. Far away from Wammy's. After him, Watari made sure that every student went through a screening test to make sure no one could harm another person. If Mello kills this man, without even a drop of hesitation, he'll be under close watch for the rest of his life…" he paused.

"…and he won't be eligible to become L."

My heart dropped to my stomach. There was no way… but Mello had wanted to become L since he was a child.

But there was nothing I could do. These were the consequences for revenge.

My poor Mello.

Maybe, though, there was something I could do to stop him.

I unbuckled myself from the car and went to sit beside Mello.

He glanced at me. "I'm not changing my mind."

"I'm not asking you to. But you said something earlier this week about Granny telling you to forgive what happened to you."

"Yes, and she was wrong. I don't need to forgive anyone for anything. I just need him out of my life."

"But, isn't he out of your life already?"

"You know what I mean!" He exclaimed, turning to me. "Look, _you_ may not have to live through hell, but _I_ do! Every night I wonder if I'll truly ever sleep again, or if I'll have another nightmare of that monster bending me over and violating me! You don't know that kind of torture, Light!"

I was silent until the blonde calmed down. "No, I don't know that kind of torture. But I know how much pain you're in. Which is why I'm asking you why you're allowing that monster to drive you to insanity."

This time it was Mello who was silenced. "What do you mean?"

I sighed and patted his shoulder. "Promise me that before you shoot him, you'll look into his eyes. Then decide if it's worth it."

I made my way back to my seat, hoping I'd made _some_ impression on him.

* * *

**(Mello P.O.V)**

What had he meant? Of course it was worth it! I'd be getting rid of my nightmares and all my troubles would be over!

Wouldn't they?

The limo stopped and I looked out of my window. We were at the car lot, a few officers standing by to greet us.

Wammy opened the door for me and I stepped out hesitantly. This was it.

I looked back at Light and L who waited by the car. Light didn't even look at me though. Why couldn't he understand that I needed to do this?! Why couldn't he understand the torment I was going through!? Didn't he know how much pain I was in!?

The officer before me led me away from them then and we headed further into the abandoned car lot.

He handed me his gun. "A Kid like you shouldn't know how to fire one of these. But L vouched for you, and arguing with him is pointless."

I cocked the gun as a response. Although Light didn't like it, L had allowed Matt and myself to learn how to fire a gun or two. He'd said it was only ever learned in case we had no other way out of a jam. But right now, I was using my skills to rid myself of the plague that monster put upon me.

The police officer took me to two others who stood beside the man of the hour.

Once he'd caught sight of me, his eyes lit up with lust again and my stomach churned in absolute pain.

"It's my dove!" He said happily, falling to the ground in front of me. "My beautiful dove…"

"Quiet, pervert!" The officer demanded.

I looked at the man beside me. "Please, leave me with him. I want him to see my face and my face alone when he dies."

"Are you sure?"

I nodded, and with that all the officers left us to our business. I'd actually debated on kicking his ass while he was at my feet, but decided death would just be quicker.

I backed up a bit when he tried to nuzzle my shoe. My memories were sifting back into my mind, and I feared I wouldn't be able to shoot him. But I had to…

I had to…

"Oh, look at you Mihael. So much older than you were before, but you're still as beautiful as a dove…"

"Enough!" I pointed the gun at his head. "Just shut up! I've wanted this for a long time, you perverted freak! Now you can finally die for the things you did to me!"

He raised his head a bit, unafraid of me. "My little dove. So animalistic now… still so young…"

"Shut up!" I screamed, kicking his head when he wouldn't stop staring at me. "You ruined my life! You ruined me! How could you possibly not have any remorse for that!?"

It's like he didn't hear me at all. "Dove… so strong… so beautiful… I've wanted you so badly while in prison. I pictured you and I being together every day I was away from you. You were all I ever dreamed of. Your skin, your hair, your body…"

I kicked him again when the memories came back. "Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!"

The more I kicked him, the more I began to cry. What was I doing? I had a gun! I could shoot him and this would be all over! But why couldn't I do it?! It was so easy!

I pointed the gun at him once again. "I'll see you in hell for what you did to me!"

He chuckled at me. "You've thought about me! I knew you loved me back!"

Tears rolled down my cheek as I tried to pull the trigger. Why was I being such a coward!?

"I could never love someone like you! And you never loved me, you just WANTED me! I was a toy and nothing more to you! My family loves me! My Matt loves me! How could you ever think that what you did qualified as love!?"

_'Someone in your past took away your innocence,' _Granny's voice suddenly echoed through my head,_ 'and you feel it is unfair that others have theirs. You have been broken and bruised, but you will not allow yourself to heal. You feel your pain makes you strong, and you are unsure how to show weakness.'_

She'd told me to forgive… but I couldn't! How could anyone forgive a man like him!? After all he's done to me…!

_'I'm not asking you to forgive him. I'm asking you to forgive yourself. Some part of you believes you were wronged by his actions, and that because you were helpless it was all your fault. You can't hang on to the anger forever, young one. What has been done is done. Accept what has happened and move on. Only after you let go of the pain, the anger, the guilt, and the memories can you achieve perfect balance.'_

Forgiveness… it was so hard to do… so much harder than hating and resenting.

But… I wasn't forgiving him… not for him… I'd forgive myself. Could I do that? After all this? After hating and wanting my revenge for so long?

_'Promise me you'll look into his eyes.'_

I did. But, other than lust, there was nothing. He was bottomless… empty… completely pathetic. His whole life revolved around me, and when he didn't have me… he snapped. And now he was getting exactly what he wanted. Me.

I lowered the gun. "You are a despicable, cruel, uninteresting man, with no family, no home, not a dime to your name, and you gave up all of your assets and coin, as well as status and luxuries, for a kid who couldn't give two shits about you. You're pathetic. And just being here is making you more pathetic. You don't care if you die by my hand, but I know you still want me. If I kill you now, you only get what you want. To see me for a final time.

"But no more."

The lust in his eyes turned to worry. And when I turned away and began walking from him, his voice no longer had a lull to them. He sounded so desperate.

"Please! Dove! Come back! You're the only thing I have left to cling to! I loved you, I yearned for you, and you're all I could ever need to be happy!"

I kept my walk, feeling my heart start back into a normal rhythm. "Pathetic. And to think I was going to let you die in front of me. You don't deserve to look upon me while you die. What a waste of my time."

He began sobbing now. "PLEASE! COME BACK! DOVE!"

I rounded the corner and handed the gun to the officer. "Take him back. I can't kill him. Tell me when he is executed though. I at least want to piss on his grave once he's buried."

The officer looked relieved and nodded. Before long, he took me back to the car and L and Light were stunned to see I hadn't done anything.

After Light hugged me, I explained myself.

"Granny told me to forgive what had happened. And I did. But it wasn't for him… it was for me. I forgave myself and all that had happened so I can finally find peace with myself. I've spent too many years hating someone who has nothing but me on his brain. How could I waste my time on someone as pathetic as him? How could he deserve it? So I spared him, and now he has to live for the rest of his life knowing I have more than he ever could."

I leaned on Light then. "Besides, I couldn't pull the trigger. The thought of… ending someone… was just too much."

Light hugged me again, and this time L joined us. "I'm incredibly proud of you, Mello. You're much more of a man than he ever will be."

I nodded. "Can we go home now?" I grinned a bit. "I need some sleep."

Light kissed my head. "Of course. This time around, I know you'll have nothing but the best of dreams."

And – in fact – I did.


	19. Chapter 19

_**A/N: I got nothing to really say here, but I always leave an a/n so... Enjoy! Reviews welcomed! XD**__**  
**_

* * *

**(L P.O.V)**

Mello hadn't had one nightmare since he let go of his hatred for the man who'd abused him so long ago. I was proud of him for not taking his revenge, and I was happier to see that he wouldn't be put in specialized surveillance. Mello was a good kid, and an even better student. I'd have hated to see him give up his chances at becoming my successor because vengeance was more important to him. Not like B… not like Backup.

Backup was odd from the moment I first met him. He was maybe a year or so younger than I was, but he was brilliant. He always came in second to A though, and I think he preferred it that way.

As I sipped my tea, closing my laptop for the night, I remember watching the two when I was much younger. A had a special interest in B, and B for A. However, the more success I had in solving cases, and the more recognition I got as the world's greatest detective, the more pressure was put onto the two. A couldn't handle it, and the poor kid hung himself. B was devastated.

I was as well.

After A's death, and B having been taken away, I demanded that Wammy stop the whole 'finding a successor' thing, and leave it be. There was only ever going to be one L, and it would be me. But I didn't count on Mello to arrive a few years later.

Just then, Light walked in hugging me from behind. "Something on your mind?"

I cuddled in closer, loving his scent. "Just thinking about my past."

"Oh? Mind sharing?"

I caressed his face a bit, not really looking at him. "I loved my successors, Light. A and B, I mean. A's real name was Adrian, and he was incredibly intelligent. There were times I'd find him solving almost near impossible math equations, or reading books like War and Peace in one sitting. He was incredibly smart, and he would have made a great L if he hadn't…" I trailed off, not wanted to speak the words.

Light gently kissed my cheek. "I'm sorry. It sounds as though you cared much for A."

I nodded. "I wasn't the only one. B loved A more than anyone. You could always see them together in the halls, or in the cafeteria. They were hardly separated from each other. But B was… odd. There were times he'd smile at me for no good reason, or he'd start laughing uncontrollably. I once found him on the roof watching a birds nest get attacked by a hawk. When I'd asked him why, he simply said, 'Death is a glorious thing'. He was an odd kid, but the way he reacted after A's death was what set him up for life in prison."

"That's right." Light commented to himself. "You said he attacked you. But why was it he blamed you?"

I sunk into my chair a bit. "Because I put pressure on A's shoulders. I hadn't even cared to think how much stress he was in, trying to keep ahead of everyone else and still maintain a life inside the orphanage. All I'd cared about was solving cases and relieving my own boredom. Had I paid just the smallest bit of attention to him, maybe he wouldn't have…"

"Stop," Light interrupted softly, hugging me closer. "A couldn't handle the pressure _others_ put on him. This has nothing to do with you. I doubt anyone even told you about his plight, not even A himself. I'm sure if time could be reversed you could have seen the signs sooner. And I know it's not something you want to hear, but things happen for a reason. Maybe A is happier now, or watching over you. And I'm sure he doesn't blame you for his death."

"But B did. And he was furious with me, even tried to stab me with a kitchen knife. Had Wammy not pulled him off of me, I might not be here right now. I got so depressed after losing A and B that I told Wammy to shut down the successor program. It had been shut down for maybe three years before Mello entered my life."

Light's hands suddenly left my chest and he suddenly came into view in front of me, leaning against my desk. "And how did Mello restart the program, exactly?"

"Like I said, I'd been depressed over losing my successors. But I'd gone out for a stroll in London, after finishing a case, when a little blonde thief tripped over a few garbage cans behind me and caught my attention. He's been small, skinny, and barely alive at the time, but his energy was phenomenal. He'd been getting chased for over two hours for taking a chocolate bar from a store some five miles away. Of course, the bar was gone by then, but he was still being chased for theft.

"He ended up hiding behind me when one of the officers had found him. I asked them why they were chasing a small boy, they gave me the story, and I paid them off for him. Needless to say, they left him alone."

"Aw, tin man, you do have a heart." Light joked.

I rolled my eyes. We must be switching rolls now, Light being the antagonist while I suffer.

"At any rate, I told the blonde if he needed a place to stay he was more than welcome to stay with Wammy and me at my hotel room. He'd been wary of me, but agreed. Seeing as he was barely dressed for the winter, I suppose he was desperate. When I took him back, however, he had more to him than I'd first thought.

"He was brilliant! He could read at a twelfth grade level, his writing ability was phenomenal, and he thought outside the box like a real detective should. He was active, thoughtful, and loved to learn. In a sense, he was a perfect successor. So, I offered him a chance to learn at Wammy's school for the gifted and orphanage. After he agreed, the successor program was restarted, along with the special surveillance to make sure the incident with A and B never arose again. Mello, until Near had arrived, was top of every class and was more than worthy of being his own, self-made, detective in his own rights. But he still wants to be my successor, so I don't say anything."

Light grinned at me. "So that's why you're always so soft with Mello. He's your favourite."

"I never said that, Light-kun. He just holds a special place in my heart that A and B once held. Mello, being one person, was able to help fill the void that my previous successors left behind after being taken away from my life. Near and Matt reassure me that I won't be left like I had been again."

Light's grin never left. "This would explain why you were so angry after the boys were kidnapped four years ago. I swear I thought I saw smoke coming from your ears."

I smiled to myself. "No one messes with my loved ones." I took the brunettes hand in my own. "This includes you, Light."

The man before me pushed off of the desk and leaned in to kiss my lips. "I love you too, L."

* * *

**(Matt P.O.V)**

I could see by the smile on Mello's face that he was happy to see L think so highly of him. Near looked just as happy as the blonde, and I wasn't far off.

Maybe eavesdropping on L and Light was wrong, but if we got information like this that made us feel special, I'm sure it wouldn't matter too much. Besides, we weren't planning on eavesdropping like this in the first place. We were going to talk to L about something when we got distracted. It's not our fault. We were just being teenagers. Well, teenagers and a small white ball of fluff who was a year away from being a teenager.

We headed back to our room then and went to bed. Whatever we were going to ask L could wait until tomorrow. Right now, it was best to just revel in the glory of knowing L loved us as much as Light did. If not, more.

Before we all fell asleep, Mello chuckled before saying, "You know I'm L's favourite, right?"

"Oh, don't start, Mels!" I exclaimed, throwing a pillow at him. "We already had this fight with Light."

"Yeah, but it was fun!" The blonde giggled out.

Near scoffed. "Maybe L likes you more, but _I'm_ still number one here."

The pillow hit the fluff ball head on and he said nothing more for the night.


	20. Chapter 20

_**A/N: I feel incredibly stupid. I wrote this chapter this morning in preparation to post it, but I got called away and I forgot about it, but I thought I still posted it... but didn't realize until now that I hadn't.**__**  
**_

_**Really sorry guys. I hope you can forgive me.**_

_**Enjoy and please review. (Again, I'm really sorry.)**_

* * *

**(Near P.O.V)**

"Where is he?" The gamer asked worriedly. "He's been gone for two hours, this isn't right."

"Maybe we should go out and look for him." Mello suggested.

"Unless you've got a drivers licence hidden under that mess of hair you have, I don't think we can." The red head replied in a snarky tone.

"Do you think something happened to him?" I asked nervously.

Mello patted my back. "Of course not. This is Light we're talking about, nothing can hurt him."

I really wanted to believe that.

Light had gone out to get some stuff for us, but he'd done so nearly two and a half hours ago. It wasn't far to the nearest town or city here in Winchester, maybe fifteen minutes if you walked, so Light should have been home hours ago. Why wasn't he home yet?

I saw the look of panic on Matt's face. "Light _has_ to be okay. He just _has_ to."

"He is, Matt." Mello said calmly. "Don't worry so much. He's probably… stuck in traffic or something. Maybe his car broke down."

"Then wouldn't he just walk home?" I asked.

"You know how Light is, he's a problem solver not a quitter. Come on, try to think a bit more positive."

"You're one to talk." Matt said under his breath, earning him a kick to the shin.

Our room fell silent again and my worries increased. Never had I been more afraid than I did right now wondering where Light had disappeared to.

L suddenly appeared at our door, his expression the same as ours.

"He's not back yet." He commented to himself, slinking into the door frame. I suppose he thought if he'd come home, he'd find us first.

The three of us said nothing. If L was worried, than we had every right to be worried as well. Light was never this late, and if he were he would have called us to reassure us everything was fine. I seemed like nothing looked good at this moment.

L sighed and took a seat on Mello's bed right next to him. The blonde hugged him close to try and reassure him that everything would be fine. We all knew the truth though. Light was missing, or in serious danger.

I'd never seen L more upset than he did right at this moment. I knew he loved Light with all his heart, but with him acting so disturbed and out of character, being less than calm and seeking us for comfort, it was all surprising. I wondered to myself if he'd been like this when the three of us had been kidnapped. I could almost imagine that that was most likely the truth.

I heard footsteps down the hall that were moving fast and we all looked to find Watari at our doorway, holding a phone and huffing a bit. He'd been looking for L.

He took a breath. "L, thank the lord you're in the house still."

"What's wrong, Wammy?"

"It's Light…"

L jolted. "Where is he?! Is he alright?! What's going on!?"

"L," he said calmly, "he's in the hospital."

We all fell silent in pure fear. Light was… he was… but why? What was going on?

L took a breath himself. "What's going on, Wammy?"

The man before him sighed. "Light was on his way to the car and he got jumped. Some thieves demanded his belongings but he stood his ground. One of them pulled a knife and…" Watari stopped there. "Some passerby's found him and took him to the hospital. They just phoned and told me he's in intensive care at the moment, but we can go down and see him."

"Then let's move it." L demanded as he made a dash for the door.

"We're coming too!" Matt announced.

But L stopped us right as we got up. "No, you three are staying here. I can't allow you to see Light this way."

"But L…!" I tried.

"I said no. Now go to bed."

Finally, Mello stepped in. "With all due respect, L, we need to see Light. If you haven't noticed, we love him as much as you do and I'll be damned if I'm letting you keep us here in absolute worry, while you're beside him and keeping him from worrying over us. Light is our father-figure, neigh, our _mother_-figure, and if we aren't there to support and help him through this, then we are terrible people and terrible children to him, and you'd be a terrible husband to him. So, either you let us go with you, or I throw a tantrum fit for a thousand royal brats in this world! So what's it gonna be!?"

L, for probably the first time in his life, was silenced by a teenager. The look on his face spelled both fear, and awe-stricken.

The detective sighed. "Fine. Get in the car."

Mello grinned as he rushed out the door, us trailing behind, downstairs, and to the car Watari would be driving. L followed suit and before we knew it we were off to the hospital. Praying that Light wasn't too badly hurt.


	21. Chapter 21

_**A/N: Hello again and welcome to the newest chapter of the day! I hope you all delight in reading this chapter, please feel free to leave a review, and know I am greatly honoured by all the followers I have come to find with this story! Lord knows I don't deserve them.  
**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

**(Mello P.O.V)**

The hospital wasn't far from us and we made it there in no time flat. However, we didn't get to see Light right away though, since we didn't share the same name as him. It was long past nightfall before someone actually allowed us any entrance, but I was more than angry that they didn't let us in sooner.

It was a doctor that found us and spoke with L. "Excuse me, would you be Ryuzaki?" After L confirmed this, "Light is in room six. He's been asking for you."

"What about us?" Matt said angrily. "We're his kids!"

The doctor nodded. "You three may come as well, but I'll have to ask that you don't stress him out in any way. He needs rest after his surgery."

We agreed and began to follow the doctor to Light's room. Matt and Near were right up front of me and L, me wanting to stay by the detective's side for comfort. I knew L was worried for Light, and I was as well, but in times like this it was best to stay calm. Light had done so with us, so we should do the same. The less he worried about us, the better, and the best way to keep him from worrying about us was to remain calm and be there for him.

However, it would seem Matt had gotten wrong idea about my demeanor. He'd send angry glances my way when I tried to calm down Near and tell him everything was fine. I don't know that he understood how fearful I really was at the moment. I didn't want to lose Light any more than he did, and I'd be damned if I let that mugger get away with knifing him, but it was best that Light think everything would be fine so he could rest easier. Maybe I came off as not caring, but I probably cared more than anyone else at the moment.

The doctor showed us into room six and there he was, sitting up and looking more than tired of being poked and prodded by the nurses. He didn't look to be in much pain, but if I knew Light he was hiding most of it to show he could be stronger than the pain.

He looked towards the door and instantly smiled. "Finally, some company!"

Near and Matt ran in and were about to hug the brunette when they realized he might be in pain. However, Light pulled them into a hug anyways and the two hugged him back.

I noticed, although he tried to hide his pain, he was breathing abnormally and had a slight strain in his voice. Other than that, he looked almost normal.

L walked in and hugged Light as well. "I was so worried for you."

"Don't be. I'm fine, I barely lost any blood." He chuckled a bit, holding his side as he sat up a bit more. "The muggers in Japan would usually run when I stood my ground. I'm surprised one of them pulled a knife on me. Two of 'em ran off when I threatened them. That man had guts."

"Stop it, Light." L said as he pulled away a bit. "You know what happened to you was wrong, and I'll do anything I can to find them."

"Oh lord, Ryuzaki, can't you wait until I'm home to start planning on how you can find them?"

"Light…"

"I mean it. I might be in the hospital for a few more days, maybe a week, and the boys need you. We need at least one calm person to take care of them."

"You know me, Light. I told you before, no one hurts my family or loved ones without me getting involved. I'm sorry, but I'm going to find this degenerate and make sure he pays for the crime he committed."

Light sighed, pinching his brow.

I pulled on L's sleeve and caught his attention. "Ryuzaki, the doctor told us not to cause him stress. Talking to him this way isn't going to help him get better."

L paused for a bit, then sighed. "You are… correct, Mello." He turned to Light. "I'm sorry, Light. You are also correct and I promise not to get involved in finding this man until after you're out of the hospital."

This time, Light looked at me. "Actually, Ryuzaki, if you're committed to finding the man who knifed me, I suggest then letting Mello take charge of himself and the others."

Matt scoffed. "What, him? He's only fifteen, he can't do much."

Near shrugged though. "But he is older than us, and it wouldn't be for long."

I blinked. "Am I really being given a choice here?" I asked somewhat sarcastically.

Light finally pulled me into a hug. "Mello, I can tell you're afraid for what happened to me." He whispered. "But I can also tell you're trying to look calm for the three of them so they won't worry as much. I thank you for that, and I need you to continue to show them there's nothing to worry about. I don't know how long I'll be here, and I know L can't hold out on looking for the man who assaulted me for very long. All I ask is that you be the adult for a while so I can heal. I won't uneasy knowing you're taking care of everything."

I felt a tear roll down my cheek. "Okay, Light. I'll do it for you."

He kissed my head then. "Thank you. You're a good kid."

I smiled happily and tightened my hug a bit. It was nice to know Light trusted me enough to keep things in order for a few days while he was resting.

The doctor came in once again. "I'm sorry to tell you that visiting hours are over for the day. You may come back tomorrow if you wish.

L nodded to the doctor then turned to Light, giving him another hug.

"We'll see you tomorrow, Light. We love you."

Matt and Near joined in, and once they were done I hugged him as well. Promising I'd do a good job.

It wasn't long before we were out of the room and outside the hospital.

Near looked at L. "When do we start looking for that bastard!?"

I stepped in immediately. "L will start right away, but you aren't going to help."

"Oh," Matt started up. "So you're gonna command us now? Look, just because Light put you in charge, doesn't mean…"

"He put me in charge, yes, but I won't have my twelve year old brother looking for someone when he has better things to do with his time." I interrupted. "Light would say the same thing, and you know it."

"That's another thing!" Matt started yelling. "Why is it that you show absolutely no emotion when someone who loves and cares for you is sitting in a hospital bed?! Light needs love and support, and you didn't even offer to hug him the moment you entered the room! You just stood there! Not one word from you!"

He finally stopped ranting and I took a breath.

"Did it ever occur to you that I was afraid to touch him? That I was afraid that one bad move would cost me his life? Did that thought ever float into your head, or did you truly believe I was being selfish and uncaring?" I paused, watching his face contort from anger into sorrow. "And the reason I didn't say anything, is because the doctors told us not to put any stress on him, and so saying nothing was better than saying a possible stress-induced sentence. If you hadn't noticed, L caused more than enough stress after he announced his mission to find and bring justice to Lights attacker. I even had to step in to stop him from going any further. So don't look at me and say I don't care about Light, because out of all of you, I care for him the most. And if I had my way, I'd find that bastard that knifed him, slice off his ear and shove it down his throat so he could be deafened by his own screams."

The three males before me all looked terrified.

They should be.

However much L hated to see his loved ones in danger, I hated it by a tenfold.

Matt blinked a few times. "Mel… I'm… I'm sorry, I…"

"Whatever, Matt." I growled, getting into the car. "Let's just go home and sleep. We have classes in the morning."

The three calmed down a bit and joined me in the car. Watari, as he began driving asked about Light to Matt and Near.

While they answered, L leaned in to speak with me.

"I think I might just have you work on the case with me. You seem more than angry at what happened to Light."

I scoffed. "I have to look out for Matt and Near first. When Light's up and walking, and you haven't found him yet, I'll join you. If you find him before he's up and waking, throw a few punches from me."

With that, the detective stopped speaking. Maybe he was too afraid to. With the amount of anger I was holding in… hell, even I was afraid of me at this point.


	22. Chapter 22

_**A/N: No more chapters until tomorrow guys. Sorry. But enjoy the newest chapter! It's rather... erm... how do I put this?  
**_

_**Adult?**_

_**Well, sort of I guess. Nothing too graphic... yet.**_

_**Anyways, Enjoy and please review!**_

* * *

**(Matt P.O.V)**

I have to admit, when Mello stepped up to the plate he was more than incredible. Light was right to put him in charge while he and L were out of the picture for a while. Not only was he able to keep me and Near focused on our work and from killing each other a few times, but he helped us out with a few problems. Nears being bullies and meds from his surgery, and mine being losing things or goofing off when I was supposed to be doing work. All in all, he was a good babysitter – in a sense – and maybe I judged him too harshly in the beginning.

But he was no Light. And we were all beginning to miss his presence.

We visited him almost every day, and he was more than happy to see us. Turns out that the mugger hadn't hit anything important when he knifed Light, so his recovery would be swift. He did however need to be interrogated by the police and had to give a description of the man that stabbed him. Unbeknownst to them, he'd already given the description to L and the detective was hot on his trail. In the next few days, Light's attacker would be caught and either given to the police, or beaten to all hell by L or us for what he'd done. I guess it would depend on what mood L was in when the day came.

It usually didn't take long for L to find a mugger, considering it barely took him three days to find us when we'd been kidnapped, but Light had given very little description of his attacker. All he saw was a masked man with a tribal tattoo on his left arm. L could find him, but this would take some time yet.

For the moment, though, we lived our lives as normally as we could. Mello was taking care of us, and Light was resting in the hospital. Everything would be alright.

Well… I suppose it was. There was just one thing Mello didn't know about that I was having trouble with: hormones.

Not that I wasn't able to handle it myself, but it seemed to be getting more frequent that I'd wake up with… issues. Normally a cold shower helped almost instantly, but when it happened in the middle of class and I had to think of ways to calm down, it became a strain. I'd thought about asking for help from L, or even a teacher, but it was way too embarrassing to even think about. Even worse, my problem only happened whenever I thought about Mello. I'd wake up with it after a dream about him, or it happened whenever he was in my class. It was becoming bothersome now having to deal with it. There were mornings where I'd wake up and be too embarrassed to leave my bed. And all this was happening _before_ Light was hospitalized. That mugger just _had_ to stab him the day I was going to ask for help.

I blinked my eyes open, feeling the pain in my… region, and mentally groaned. Yet another day to deal with the hormones. Thank god it was the weekend though.

I was about to get out of bed and run to the shower when Mello opened and slammed the door, looking at me angrily.

Normally when his face contorted to anger I was afraid, but although my mind was saying to be afraid, my problem only became worse.

_'Well that's just great! I'm a goddamn masochist!'_ I thought bitterly.

Mello stomped towards me, and I sunk in a bit to hide my crotch a bit more. No way was he going to see this. He'd laugh at me until I was in my late sixties, I just knew it.

His nostrils flared. "Matt, I've been waiting downstairs in the cafeteria for over an hour! This is the sixth time you've done this to me this month…!"

The more he continued yelling at me the more my problem… erm… grew. I couldn't believe the effect Mello had on my body, it was so… powerful. And it was now that I wished more than ever that my dreams would become reality and he'd help me relieve my body of the stress.

He finally noticed I wasn't paying attention and grabbed the collar of my shirt and pulled me up to face him. I thankfully was able to cover myself before he could notice.

"I'm giving you ten seconds to explain what's going on with you, or I swear I might rip off your head."

I swallowed a bit of fear. "I don't know that Light would appreciate you maiming me in such a way."

"Eight, seven, six..."

"Okay, I'll tell you!" I cried. "But… you'll laugh at me."

He let go of my shirt and crossed his arms. "Start talking."

I cleared my throat a bit and shifted the covers nervously to hide myself a bit better. "Umm… so, you know how in health class the teacher said… umm… that guys sorta… kinda… erm… well… swell up?"

Nothing but pure bewilderment on his face. "Matt, what are you talking about? All I remember from health class was the guy in the back screaming 'penis!' at the top of his lungs when the penis game started. Bastard won that round too, but I'll get it next time."

I gulped inaudibly. "Err… well… have you ever, you know, woken up and felt… different?"

I could just see the frustration in his eyes. "Matt, you aren't making any sense. Just tell me…"

"I'm hard."

Silence. Silence and staring. Mello looked a bit dumbfounded by what I'd said. However, after seeing me blush profusely after hearing my words, he almost immediately got what I was trying to say.

"You're… um… you're hard. Like… from…?"

I nodded. He didn't need to say it. I think I'd only be more embarrassed if he did.

I sighed. "You're gonna laugh at me now, right?"

Mello shook his head hastily. "Oh, no! No, Matt I… I wouldn't… I just… I've never, actually, _seen_ anyone… umm… you know…"

"Yeah well, now you have." I said begrudgingly, still embarrassed.

For a moment I wallowed in my own self-pity, until I felt a weight on my bed in front of me and I instantly fell back into my pillow when Mello started to crawl up to me. I made sure my hands covered my problem and stopped the blonde from going further with his thoughts. To be honest with myself, I was only half wishing he'd leave me alone to deal with my problem. The other half of me wished he'd continue on. It was like my wildest, and most erotic, dreams were coming true. So… who was I to stop him?

He snaked his hand under my own and I felt him softly touch my problem area. I could just heart my heart racing through my ear, and I almost passed out from holding in a breath.

I looked into Mello's eyes and they were filled with curiosity and desire.

"To be completely honest, Matt, I've never really indulged this far into… well… personal issues. Aside from that monster who'd claimed me as his toy, I've never been so close to someone like this. I always believed I would hate this kind of closeness. But with you…" he stretched out his words, moving his hand up and down. "…I'm less afraid."

This couldn't be real. I had to be dreaming. There was no way Mello was doing this to me on his own will. How the hell did he know what to do? How was he so good at it?!

The blonde smiled a bit. "I've heard a few teenagers in the past talk about this kind of stuff. They'd usually go ahead and relieve themselves, but I don't mind being your hand for a bit. Just as long as you return the favour in the future."

"F-future?" I stuttered out. "We… you want to…?"

He crawled a bit closer to me, straddling my legs and moving my hands away, slinking his own down my pants. The skin to skin contact was almost too much to handle. How… where had he learned this?!

I started breathing heavily. "M-Mel… don't you think we're a bit… y-young to be d-doing t-this?"

He pressed his lips to my cheek for a split second. "Mattie, it's not like we're actually _doing_ anything. I'm just relieving your tension for the day." His hand moved up and down the length of me and the heat in my cheeks started burning me. "Do you want me to stop?"

I shook my head, causing him to plant kisses from my lips to my jawline.

"I didn't think so." He whispered, increasing his pace.

I lost myself in his touch and bucked a bit when he slowed down. He only chuckled at me.

"I told you before, Matt, I'm not gonna give myself to you so freely. Not until we're just a bit older. But I never said we couldn't mess around a bit and explore a few things."

I started panting now, feeling myself gear up for… something. It was like pressure building up inside of me and making me feel like I was going to explode.

I felt Mello's lips crash into mine and I completely lost control. Before I knew it, I felt a strain in my legs and then complete and utter peace. Not only that, but my pants were less tight than they had been and I felt a strange calmness wash over me in complete delight. The only thing that was uncomfortable was the strange, squishy feeling I had in my pants. Having paid attention in health class, I knew almost exactly what it was.

But I was too embarrassed to look.

Mello kissed my lips again, smiling crudely. "Better?"

I nodded, too tired to say anything. He'd drained me of so much energy in the time we were together, I could only imagine how much energy the actual thing might be.

Mello lay next to me on my pillow, wiping his hand on my sheets. "Good luck explaining those stains to Light."

I grinned a bit. "I'll have to wash them myself to save me the humiliation."

"Humiliation? You get your first handjob, and you consider it humiliating?"

I quickly looked back at Mello. "What, no! I just meant…!"

He giggled. "I was just messing with you, Matt. But I hope you realize I demand you service me in the same way when I need your help with a 'problem'."

I breathed out my worry. "Sure, Mels. No problem. Though I'm not sure I'll be quite as… informed as you."

The blonde hummed and cuddled closer to me. "You can learn on the job. To be honest, this was my first time giving a handjob to anyone."

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "You're kidding me."

He shook his head. "First time. I'm glad I could help _you_ though. Anyone else, and I probably would have done a sloppy job."

I rolled over a bit to face him. "I doubt it. Though, with more practice…"

He slugged my arm for that. "You're not getting one every day, Matt. I just took pity on you this time. Next time it happens I'll pour ice down your pants."

I blinked. "Noted. I won't ask."

He grinned at me and kissed my lips once again. "I love you, Matt. I hope you know that."

I simply cuddled into him a bit more. "I love you too, Mels. I always have and I always will."


	23. Chapter 23

_**A/N: Well, my day has been tasking! First, my internet is down due to **_**_maintenance, when that's over Fanfiction is down for me for some reason, and when_ that_ was back up, my office word is going all screwy!_**_**  
**_

**_*Sigh*_**

**_Sorry, but it looks like this may be the only chapter today. But, if I can, I'll try to post a chapter before midnight. No promises though._**

**_As always thank you all for waiting patiently and sticking around for the story! I really hope you enjoy the chapter - extra long for the wait I put you all through - and please review if you can. Sometimes I take suggestions from reviews since more times than not I need a segwey into the chapters I wish to write._**

**_Enjoy!_**

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**(Light P.O.V)**

I returned home a few weeks after my incident to a quiet and well-kept home. Mello had done a terrific job in taking care of everyone while I was away, and I reminded myself to reward the blonde when I was up and walking more.

Not only was I happy to see my home wasn't destroyed, but the whole time I was in bed when I'd gotten back my family catered to my every whim. Mello even cooked a few times and Near kept me company. Matt would come and see me as well, but he felt as though there wasn't much he could do for me. I only smiled at him and told him that being y my side was enough for me. I didn't care if they catered to my every need. Just having them and knowing I'd still get to live with them and have the family I loved so dearly was enough to make me feel better.

L hadn't left my side much when I'd gotten home either. Mostly because he'd found my attacker and had already dealt with him swiftly. After I asked what he'd done to the man, he simply replied with, 'It's best that you don't know'. Although I hated that he was being secretive with me, I let it slide. I could understand his anger for what had happened, and he already said no one hurts his family. I should have seen this coming when I'd first been stabbed.

I hummed to myself over L's nature. He was extremely territorial, and more than capable of tearing off a few unwanted heads if need be it. But when he showed his softer side and managed to just relax, he was like a sweet little kitten.

Today was no different.

As I lay in bed, Near dozing right next to me in my left arm and Matt lying at the foot of my bed trying to beat a boss in his game, L lay on my right being as calm and cool as he could. He'd postponed his cases until further notice to make sure I got all the attention I deserved. I had to admit, I almost wished I'd never get better if this was the kind of treatment that came in store for me.

I brushed my fingers through his hair, noting the softer touch to it than it had before.

I chuckled. "Have you been using my hair products while I was away?"

The man was quiet as he sunk into the pillow a bit. "No…"

I sighed. "You're incredibly lucky that you can pull off 'adorable' in a hitch. Otherwise I might have punished you for taking what was mine."

"You should know, Light, that I ran out of my own hair product and Wammy was out at the moment. I had no choice but to use your product, and I must say it's not quite as good as my own."

"Why? Because it doesn't smell like sugar and peaches?"

"I'll have you know, some people adore peaches."

I rolled my eyes and felt Near wriggle a bit in my arms.

I smiled down at the little ball of white. He had to take meds every now and then for a certain period of time and they drained him of his energy. The sweet little kid was always at his most adorable when he slept because he balled himself up into a fetal position to warm up his body. Even with my covers on him he still did this out of habit. It was one of the many reasons why I found it difficult to say no to him when he asked me for something.

Now that I think about it, all of my boys were adorable in their own ways. The way Matt smiled whenever you complimented him, or the way Mello – no matter how much he hated and denied it – sneezed like a chipmunk.

I giggled at the thought. The first time I'd heard the blonde sneezed I had to cover my mouth and turn away so he wouldn't see how much I'd loved it. It was like looking at a kitten sneezing, it was so adorable. He'd carried that trait with him since he was ten, and more than once tried to hold in his sneezing to stop me from giggling at him. But what could I help? It was so damned adorable!

At the moment I thought about him, the blonde himself came shuffling in with a bowl of ice cream for me. Before he handed it over though, he caught sight of Matt playing video games.

"Matt, did you finish the assignment we got for drama class?"

The red head paled a bit. "Uhh… yes?"

At the moment he caught him in his lie, Mello reached over and took the game console from his hands.

Before Matt could argue, Mello stepped up. "I'm confiscating this until you're done the assignment. I'm not doing your half of the work again!"

The gamer groaned and flopped his way off of the bed. "Fine!" He said as he dragged his body weight out the door and to his room to grab his homework.

Mello sighed, handing over the ice cream to me. "If only he showed that much energy in the actual course."

I chuckled. "At least you're making him do his work."

Mello climbed onto the bed. "He'll probably only half-ass his part though."

"Language." I warned taking a bite of my ice cream.

The blonde blinked. "English. But I could repeat it in Japanese if you'd prefer."

My eyes rolled again smiling to myself. "You can be such a brat some days."

"You love me." The blonde countered, a cheeky smile on his face.

Matt returned then with a binder and some papers. Climbing onto the bed once more, he asked, "What was our topic again?"

"Famous Shakespearian plays." Mello answered. "We have to write an essay on Romeo and Juliet then give a performance on one of the scenes."

"Why'd we pick _that_ play again?"

Mello crossed his arms. "Because you convinced me to skip that class with you one day and we got stuck with it instead of Macbeth."

Matt blinked. "Okay, I own up to my mistake. So which scene are we doing?"

I swallowed the bit of ice cream in my mouth. "How about the scene where Romeo and Juliet part ways? It's a very famous scene, you know."

"Yeah, but no girls to play Juliet between me and Matt." The blonde stated.

L giggled. "I guess you'll have to fight to see which one will be Romeo."

"Mello's Juliet." Matt announced hastily.

"What!" The blonde exclaimed. "I'd sooner play a tree!"

"Come on Mels!" Matt nudged him. "You're… pretty. And you do have a rather… feminine figure. I'd make you a dress worthy of your…" he giggled a bit, "…beauty."

The blonde punched the gamer hard enough to knock him off the bed, but Matt was still giggling like an idiot. That's when I decided to step in.

"Mello, it would only be for the one class and you and Matt already have a special bond. Would it be so terrible if you performed in one scene as a woman?"

"You're forgetting that it's in front of our class, on stage, and the scene involves a kiss."

I huffed. "Like you're so new to kissing Matt."

The look on his face was priceless. Even Matt had gone quiet.

"How… how did you find out…?"

I pointed at the sleeping fluff ball in my arms. "Near talks in his sleep some days. He spilled your little secret a week before I was hospitalized. Though I still had an inkling before then that you two were keeping something from me."

Mello shrunk back into his seat on the bed. "So… what did he say?"

"Something about 'friends with benefits'."

L chuckled a bit beside me. "Ooh, you two are having _that_ kind of relationship behind our backs? Don't you think you're a little young to be doing something so… palpable?"

Matt finally poked his head up from beside the bed. "Look, it's not really like that. Tell 'em Mels!"

"He's right! We just… you know… kiss and junk."

"'and junk'? What exactly qualifies as, 'junk' to you two?"

As I waited I could just see on their faces that they were trying to find a way out of this. It was no use though. I could read quite clearly from their eyes what they were supposedly doing behind our backs.

I sighed a bit, setting down my bowl of ice cream – which was more liquid than solid anymore – on the end table before sitting up.

"First and foremost, you two, I don't appreciate you hiding something like this from me because you think I won't approve. From the very start I've been more than accepting of this relationship that you'd like to have together."

The blonde spoke up. "To be fair, we aren't exactly in a relationship. We don't publicise it or show any personal displays of affections, and it's more like we're being friends than anything else. Relationships aren't like that."

"You would be very mistaken then, because a relationship calls for you to be friends with your partner as much as you are a wife, a husband, boyfriend or girlfriend. A friend is someone you can trust, and if you aren't friends with the partner in your relationship, then you're with them for all the wrong reasons. So no, Mello, you and Matt are very much in a relationship no matter what you try to pull it off as."

Mello nodded quietly. "Understood."

Matt popped up from his spot. "Wait, so… Mello's my girlfriend?"

Mello angrily kicked the gamer to the floor again, but he still laughed.

"Sorry! I couldn't hold it!" He laughed out.

The blonde sighed. "I thought in a relationship you did more… well… private things."

L scoffed at that sitting up on his pillow. "If that were the case you'd never be seeing Light and me at all. Not to mention I'd be a tenfold times happier." He muttered the last part.

One look at Mello and the blonde read my mind, kicking L off the bed and earning him more than a few bruises on the fall.

I grinned a bit. "You are correct, Mello, when you say there's more adult matters in relationships, but that comes with time. Relationships have more than a physical attribute to them, and it requires more than just being a partner to another. You and Matt share a bond together that shows a strong bond that has no need to rely on physically pleasing the other. Am I correct?"

The blonde nodded. "I didn't know that. I always thought…"

"Which brings me to my next point." I stopped him, knowing what he was about to say.

L climbed back into bed. "Aww, Light-kun, are you going to give them… 'The Talk'?"

Mello's eyes widened. "Oh dear lord, please don't! Isn't it bad enough I have to endure this crap in health class?!"

Matt also climbed back on the bed. "Screw you, I want to hear this!"

I looked down to make sure Near was still sleeping. Although I was too sure the twelve-year-old would be more than mature about it, I still didn't want him to hear this quite yet.

I looked back at the two. "Mello, you think this is crap because it makes you feel weird, but you know it's informative. It's best you two are prepared for the future instead of worrying about it when it creeps up on you. Considering you're teenagers now, I can almost assume that you two are already aware of urges and such…"

Mello covered his ears. "Jesus, Light, please stop and spare me the embarrassment!"

Matt chuckled. "I'm way more impressed that you're telling us this with a straight face! Much braver than L when we asked him about babies and where they came from."

The detective beside me hummed a bit. "Knowing how much it's torturing Mello at the moment, I may just have the guts to tell you now."

"Please don't." The blonde begged. "The video in health class was enough, thanks."

"Mello, stop interrupting and just listen." I demanded.

The blonde before me lowered his hands then, and groaned a bit. "I'm gonna have nightmares, aren't I?"

I rolled my eyes. "First, tell me the truth. Have you and Matt had sex?"

I saw the blonde shiver at the word. "No."

"Have you done anything remotely explicit?"

He didn't answer, but Matt spoke up.

"Does a handjob count?"

Once again, he was kicked to the floor, laughing at Mello's reaction.

I grinned. "Yes, Matt. It does. Thank you for being honest."

"Nark." The blonde mumbled.

I sighed. "Mello, there is nothing wrong with exploring what you want to do. But you have to realize that sex shouldn't be taken carelessly, especially if you're still a virgin. You shouldn't listen to what media says or what others in the school say. Don't give yourself away just to get rid of your virginity. Sex should be shared with someone you care about and are willing to be with."

"If you haven't met me, Light, my name is Mello. I was raped as a child. I don't exactly have a virginity anymore, so why should I care?"

I took a deep breath. "Listen to me, Mello, I don't believe that man took anything that resembled virginity from you. Why? Because you didn't give yourself to him. Until the day you give yourself to someone, I consider you a virgin. So keep this in mind,

"When the day comes that you are indeed ready to give yourself to someone, be it Matt or someone else…"

The red head popped up beside us. "And I'm hoping it's me,"

I sighed, but continued, "…I want you to really look into your heart and decide if that's who you want to give yourself to more than anyone. After sex you should be able to look in the mirror and not feel ashamed of what you did. That's all I'm going to tell you. But if ever you need to talk to someone, I need you to know that you can trust me. I won't shy away from any questions you might have."

I could tell by the look in his eyes that he felt more than ashamed for keeping his relationship with Matt secret.

He finally looked up from the covers to look me in the eye. "So… are you mad that Matt and I are… you know…?"

I grinned a bit, leaning forward and brushing away some hair from his eyes. "No, son. I just need you to know that you can trust me more than this. I support your relationship one hundred percent, but don't move too fast. You have all the time in the world with each other, and it would be better if you waited a while before continuing on with anything more physical."

Matt groaned. "Does this mean no more handjobs?"

The gamer managed to dodge the kick this time, but still giggled under his breath.

Mello mumbled a curse but I let it slide, pulling him into a hug to reassure he could trust me.

The blonde chuckled a bit. "Light, I think that's the first time you ever called me son."

I smiled at that, cuddling him closer. "Well, you are technically my son. Same with Matt and Near. I adopted you all didn't I?"

L scoffed. "No paperwork to prove it."

This time, _I_ kicked him out of bed, not caring about the strain on my stitches.

Mello giggled but then turned serious. "So, if I ever want to get physical with Matt, you wouldn't care?"

I thought about the question before answering. "I wouldn't care that you two wanted to explore, no. I _would_ care if you two were going too fast and lost sight of what was really important."

Mello nodded. "I guess that's fair."

As I hugged him close once again, I felt a stirring beside me and the little ball of fluff started yawning.

Near rubbed his eyes. "What's going on? Did I miss something?"

Mello narrowed his eyes at him and was about to start shouting at the albino when he suddenly made an odd face. When his nose started twitching and his face contorted into position, he let out his kitten sneeze, and all four of us in the room had to turn away and hide our giggling faces.

The blonde growled. "MY SNEEZE IS NOT CUTE!" He yelled, shaking in anger.

I cleared my throat, feeling my eyes water. "I never said it was cute, Mello."

Matt let a few giggles escape. "It's fucking adorable though!"

The gamer barely made it out the door when Mello began chasing him.

When L finally stopped smiling and giggling, he turned to me with a glad expression. We both had the same thought.

"Those two make a cute couple."


	24. Chapter 24

_**A/N: Trying to catch up on some lost work here. I know I haven't been paying much attention to this story, even though I've tried, and I'm sorry for making you guys wait. D:  
**_

_**As always though, thank you for your support and reviews! **_

_**Enjoy!**_

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**(L P.O.V)**

"Oh relax, would you Mello." Matt teased the blonde. "You make a great Juliet. Not to mention the dress I made you should flatter your curves."

"I swear, by all that is holy, I will skin you alive and feed your flesh to rabid wolves." Mello growled out from behind the dressing room where he was changing.

With Light up on his feet more he'd practically dragged me to the drama classroom – a theatre in the heart of the school – to go see the two perform their Romeo and Juliet scene. Although Matt was happy to be performing, Mello was angry enough that he was shaking. The blonde hadn't wanted to be Juliet, to wear a dress and makeup, or have to go through this 'torturous' scene. However, with their grades on the line, I suppose he'd have to suck it up.

Light and I were backstage to help the two prepare for the scene. They'd already handed in the essay about their play, so now all they had to do was perform in front of the audience. Something Mello was keen on trying to get out of.

We hadn't seen him in his dress yet, but I was prepared with a camera for when he came out. I had to pity him a bit though, having the feminine form and long blonde hair, it was easy to mistake him for a female at first glance. Once he spoke, however, it was easy enough to see that he was in fact a male. Puberty did nothing for his female-esque form, but did a number on his voice. Tragic.

Light chuckled. "You done yet? Or do you need help getting the dress on?"

The blonde growled. "I hate you all!"

Matt fooled around with his makeshift sword on his Romeo costume. "It could be worse, Mel. You could be kissing someone else."

Finally the curtain to the dressing room opened, shocking all of us.

Aside from the voice, there was no way to tell that this was Mello.

He wore a tasteful, and simple, red dress that flowed from his hips to the floor. The sleeves of the dress hung off his shoulders lightly and made him look more feminine than before. His thin figure and straight spine, with the hourglass hips he'd managed to hide in his previous clothing, only made it worse for him. Not to mention he'd combed his hair in a way that made it look straighter and lighter than before. Now all he needed to do was put on some make up and he could pass off as a woman without a hitch.

The whole ensemble helped me to fully consider him for a specific mission I was currently working on, but there was still a few key components: His voice, and his acting ability.

We all stood there in silence. No laughing, or giggling. Just… silence.

The blonde growled again. "What?!"

Finally Matt snapped out of it. "Um… n-nothing, Mels. You… err… you just look… um…"

"Like a girl?" The blonde warned.

"Well, I was going to say beautiful. But yeah, girl works too." He then dug into his pocket and pulled out a choker necklace. "But you should wear this. The bead on the front has a microchip in it that will mess around with your voice and make you sound more effeminate."

Mello sighed. "Give it here, then."

In no time he was able to attach the choker to his neck and the bead worked its magic.

"Say something, Mel." Matt demanded.

We were all amazed by the voice.

"She sells sea shells by the sea shore." The blonde tested, jumping a bit at the new voice he had.

Matt fist-pumped the air. "I am a genius!"

Mello only growled, which sounded odd now that it was in female form. "Whatever, let's just get this over with.

"No makeup?" I asked.

"I would sooner die." The blonde snarled.

Light chuckled again. "Then we'll go take our seats." He said and led the way for us to leave.

When I knew we were out of ear shot for the boys, I spoke with Light about the mission I had for Mello.

"Light, you're aware of my current mission involving the high school, correct?"

"Yes," he said slowly, "the one with the girls turning up dead. Why bring it up now?"

I pointed at the spot where Mello and Matt were. "I think I just found my undercover agent for the mission."

He got it almost instantly. "Mello? But you need a female. I doubt he's going to allow you to dress him up as a teenaged girl just for a mission."

"It would only be for a week or so, and we need to find out what's going on in L.A. I'd pay Mello back for all his work if he did this for me, plus it wastes less time for me in finding an actual teenaged female, willing and prepared to play the part."

Light hummed at my suggestion. "You'd have to ask and negotiate with him."

"I'm fully prepared to pay him for his services. But I have a feeling that he'll want more than I can afford considering my plan to dress him up."

"Even more, you won't have me to back you up." He warned.

I only grinned at him. "You're such a good man, Light. So helpful."

"Why thank you. I try my best."

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**_A/N: I'd like to know, also, if you guys want this story to be longer or the same as the first? I could add more to this story, but it might be nice to finish it soon, right? I don't know, I can never make the right decision. _**


	25. Chapter 25

_**A/N: Yay! I managed two chapters today! Maybe there will be more... I'm kinda in the mood to write!  
**_

_**As always, enjoy!**_

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**(Near P.O.V)**

Poor Mello. The torture he was willing to go through to prove himself to L. Of course, the detective never said anything at first about having to dress as a teenaged girl, but instead just asked the blonde if he wanted to help him on an undercover mission. And, of course, he agreed almost immediately. When he found out he'd be playing the role of a female, he instantly lost it. However, L was able to convince him that he was perfect for the job and would reward the blonde with whatever he liked. It would cost an arm and a leg – almost literally – but the offer helped Mello to agree.

We got on a plane a few days later and now we were in L.A. Living in a beachside house near a high school for the next week or so.

Matt and I were excited to be helping – Matt with wardrobe and keeping Mello from killing anyone, and me helping Light with surveillance – but it didn't help us that we'd have to be seeing Mello dressed as a girl for almost twenty-four seven. Matt had laughed so hard when he'd found out Mello was going to be a girl for this mission that he almost choked. I was quite humoured with the thought myself, but decided not to say anything. I don't know that any of us were willing to dress up as females for a mission, and I almost respect Mello for staying on the case even if he knew this fact. It took real guts for someone like him to become something he wasn't.

As Light set up the equipment with L, Matt and I tried to comfort Mello.

"Come on, Mels." Matt tried. "It'll be fine. And if anyone tries to grope you, you can kick their ass!"

Mello didn't even have the heart to punch him. He just sat there, head on his knees and arms flopped to the side. The poor guy was depressed, angry, sad, and vengeful all at once. All because L had tricked him into helping him by becoming a female.

I put a hand on his back. "You'll do great, Mello. I have faith in you. Plus, Matt's not totally wrong about you being able to knock them down a few pegs. You have a pretty good right hook if someone gets out of line, or you need to escape."

The blonde sighed. "Could one of you get me some chocolate? I'm feeling really depressed right now."

"Shouldn't you watch your waistline?" Matt joked. "Most girls want a nice figure when they're your age."

Still the blonde sulked. "Please, Near?"

I grinned a bit. "Sure."

I got up from my seat and ran to his bag, which was left by the stairs, and grabbed a chocolate bar from his side pouch. I then ran back to his side and handed it to him.

"Thank you." He mumbled sadly, slowly unwrapping it and taking a bite.

I then sighed. I knew full well that Mello didn't want to do this simply for the fact that he would be a girl most of the time. Ever since he was young people would mistake him for a girl because of his rather feminine form and long blonde locks. If it wasn't for the deep voice, the baggy clothes, and the anger issues, I could see him getting more than a few looks his way. All in all he wasn't a bad looking guy, or girl if you mistook him for one, but he lacked the confidence that showed how good-looking he could truly be. If he stopped looking at the ground, straightened his spine a bit, and strut instead of shuffle, he could be the most beautiful man – err… boy… girl… whatever – to be seen. However, with the past he's had, there wasn't much confidence left in him.

Mello sighed, lifting his head a bit. "So, when do I begin my transformation, L?"

"When an old friend of mine gets here." Light answered for him. "Her and some other friends are gonna help you out a bit."

L nodded. "In fact, one of them helped Light and I get together as a couple. Of course I offered to pay them handsomely for helping us out again. They're more than delighted to help."

The blonde groaned, lowering his head again. "Why does god hate me?"

I lay my head on his shoulder. "I wish I could answer that, Mello."

Just as Matt put his arm around Mello to comfort him, there came a knock at the door. Light moved to open it, but L intercepted. "You've done enough for today, Light. I want you to rest for a while now. I don't like the thought of you overdoing it so soon after your surgery."

"My surgery was last month, Ryuzaki. I'm fine, and I can handle myself."

L still wouldn't allow it and answered the door instead of Light. Not a second passed by before we heard squealing and L getting jumped on by a young looking blonde, dressed in lacy gothic clothing.

"RYUZAKI!" She squealed hugging his neck tightly. "Or should I call you _L_?!" She asked non-formally. "Honestly, how could you keep that secret from us for so long!?"

L groaned. "Misa, I ask that you continue to call me Ryuzaki for my own sake. The world can't know who L really is."

Light started chuckling as he sat on the couch. "Shouldn't have told her, you know."

L pried the girl who he'd called Misa off of him. "Like anyone would believe her anyways."

"He's right," came another female voice from the doorway. This one had darker, shorter hair than Misa. "She may be trustworthy, but even if she wasn't who would believe a bubbly, air-head, model?"

"Watch it, Takeda!" The bubbly blonde warned. "Kitty can scratch here too."

The two women entered the house fully, leaving one more at the door for L.

This one was cool and calm, wearing a beanie with her long brown hair flowing out the sides, a red tank-top, capris, and male-like shoes. She looked like a dancer from those commercials you found on television on how to train your body. She stood tall and confident, and her sly yet smug smile gave one the impression that she could hold her own.

She chuckled. "You see what I had to deal with on the plane-ride here?"

L chuckled back, closing the door. "I apologize for having tortured you so."

She waved him off. "No worries. Anything for an old friend or two."

I looked over to Light again and saw him receiving hugs from the two other females. I suppose they really were all friends.

L then introduced us to them.

"M' ladies, these three boys are Near, Matt, and Mello."

Matt and I both said hello, but Mello only raised his head to look at them.

The blonde girl in front of us squealed a bit. "Light! They are so adorable! I can't believe you have such cute babies!"

Mello growled, but Matt spoke before him. "Babies? Madam, we are teenaged boys. And we…"

As if on cue Mello just had to sneeze a few times. It was probably due to Misa's perfume that we instantly whiffed at the moment she entered the room.

The blonde gushed. "What an adorable sneeze! You sound like a kitten!"

Mello flopped onto his back then. "I give up."

L smiled at the blonde boy. "My poor Mello. I promise this will all be over soon."

"Lying prick." The blonde beside me snarled.

"Mello!" Light warned, causing him to flinch.

L then continued. "Boys, these three are Misa Amane, Kiyomi Takada, and Light's childhood friend Teri Manu."

"Just 'Teri' is fine." The beanie woman said, turning to L. "You know how much I hate my last name."

"Too bad, it's out there." L grinned out shuffling his way to Light's side.

Light only smiled as he accepted L to lay on his lap.

"I'm happy to see you're all doing well. It's been a while since I've seen all of you."

Teri walked up to Light. "Oh yeah, thanks for calling us too. Nice to know you've been thinking about us." She said almost half sarcastically.

Light shrugged. "Sorry, I have a family to take care of, and I don't go online much."

Teri smiled back. "Well, we're happy to see you and L make it so far into your relationship."

"But now that we're here," Takada reminded them, "shouldn't we get to work? I believe you asked us to transform someone into a proper lady. So where is she?"

Light looked over to Mello. "If you would kindly stand up, son."

Mello groaned unhappily and stood up to face his maker.

Misa took a breath. "We're transforming you!? Oh my god, this is perfect!"

Mello cocked an eyebrow. "Care to explain why?"

She quickly skipped her way to his side and assessed his face. "Well, we can transform a girl into a lady without issue. But if we're making a young man like you into a girl, then we have our work cut out for us. Of course, I'll be doing hair, makeup, and wardrobe. Takada will help you with mannerisms and such, and Teri will help you with anything we miss."

Mello grumbled. "Oh joy." He said sarcastically. "Being poked and prodded by females is one of my life's dreams."

Light chuckled. "Mello, try to be nice. They're good friends of ours and they can help you."

Teri chuckled as well. "I believe I'll be more help here than I thought. Just like when I helped you two get together."

"Once again," L said politely, "thank you for helping Light realize he needed me so."

Light only rolled his eyes, then looked at the women. "Do you think you can help with Mello?"

Misa giggled happily. "Of course! It's early yet, so could we start right away?!"

"The sooner the better." L approved.

I looked towards Mello then, who was sulking.

The blonde mumbled a bit before replying with, "Alright, let's get this over with."

"Good man… erm… woman!" Matt hurrahed, causing Mello to glare at him.

I grinned as the women led him away into another room with their bags of supplies. When he came out, I doubt any of us would recognize him.


	26. Chapter 26

_**A/N: Three chapters today! So happy with myself! **_

_**I hope you all enjoy, and as always thank you to all my followers!  
**_

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**(Mello P.O.V)**

As I sat in my chair, awaiting the torture to begin, I tried to think hard enough to make the room explode and get me out of doing this. But no luck though. I may be smart, but I wasn't able to use my mind to seek vengeance quite yet.

While they set up their tools – brushes, mirrors, makeup, and other stuff – I briefly thought to myself at how I'd gotten into this mess. I'd even asked L why he wanted me and not someone more qualified for the job, and he'd said something along the lines of 'I trust you to do a good and efficient job, and I believe you're more than ready to help out on this case'. What a sucker I'd been. I know it was because pickings were slim and I was the closest thing to a teenaged girl than he was ever going to find in a few days' time. But even if he wasn't lying I'd still hate this torture. Didn't he think I was awkward enough by having a feminine form? He just had to put me in a dress now, too!? Sometimes L really was an ass to his successors. Not that he meant to be… but he was.

I slunk further into my chair, but this didn't go unnoticed.

"Sit up a bit straighter, hon," Teri commanded with a slight smile on her face. "Try to look proud, or just be proud. Either way, show some confidence. You'll be beautiful, I promise."

I groaned. "You and Matt would get along quite well." I mumbled out, sitting up a bit. "You both like to make fun of me."

"I'm not making fun of you. I'm actually admitting that you are an incredibly beautiful young man."

My eye twitched. "Please stop talking."

She chuckled a bit as my chair swivelled around to face the bubbly blonde named Misa.

"Mello," she started, "you shouldn't act like this is a bad thing. Some men would love to have the features you have!"

"Features such as?" I challenged.

She placed her hands on my cheeks. "The high cheekbones, the fair skin, nice bright eyes! Some men go through surgeries upon surgeries to have any of that. Most of them are celebrities." She let go of my face but kept her smile up. "You should be proud!"

I scoffed. "Yeah, I'm so proud to look like a girl. I'm even more proud to be mistaken for one too." I said sarcastically.

Teri laughed at this. "Men confuse you for a girl? I call that talent! You can utilise that kind of power to your advantage!"

Takada giggled as well. "I can only imagine the boys who will be drooling at your feet when we're through with you. You may be able to get more information from them if you act the part."

For once in my life, I was intrigued at the thought of being mistook for a female. "How exactly do you mean I could utilise this… power of perception, shall we say?"

Misa giggled a little and explained. "First of all, since you have the feminine features, you should display them as much as you can. An hourglass figure like yours is a great selling feature, since it draws out the butt area and makes your walk look more tempting. If you continue to hide your body under baggy clothes and poor posture, guys won't want to talk to you. And half the reason you're here helping L is to gather information on the girls and well as the boys. The best way to do that, is to walk with confidence."

"Misa is correct," Teri agreed, "you have to stop shuffling, Mello, and work with what you've got."

I blinked at them. "Uh, not trying to be negative here, but I've got nothing. Natta, zip, zilch, I have no way of knowing how to showcase what I don't have."

"Hmm…" Teri hummed. "Is there anyone special in your life? Someone you love on a personal level, who you'd want to notice you instantly?"

I nodded, thinking of Matt.

"Then that's perfect." She said happily. "Might I ask who it is?"

I shrunk into my seat again. "M…Matt."

Misa awed at me and gave me a hug. "That's so cute! You love the little red head with the goggles! It's like… nerd love or something!"

I fought to be free of her and was soon out of her grasp. It was then I heard Teri chuckle.

"This keeps getting better. All you have to do, Mello, is pretend you're trying to impress Matt and lure him in. If you can do that, you've got this whole female thing down."

Takada then joined in. "But not only that, you'll have to walk with confidence. People are attracted to others by the way they hold their confidence. Make sure you don't look like you're too prideful, and that when you stride your head is up high. Don't be afraid to sway your hips a bit either."

I blinked again. "Okay then…"

Misa then clapped her hands together. "Okay, you two continue teaching him how to act and I'll work on that gorgeous hair of his!"

At this point I became more afraid, but I was already being pulled into the bathroom and over the bathtub before I could run. While Misa washed my hair, Takada started her lesson.

"Mello, I don't want you wear the same thing two days in a row. It makes you look unclean and unhealthy, and make sure you style your hair up a few times. That, or wear a hat of some kind."

Teri then stepped in. "And since you're going to be wearing heels sometimes, I suggest the confidence be increased a bit. Heels make the man, blondie."

Once my hair was washed and conditioned, Misa set me in my seat again and began to style it. She did snip the ends a bit, but nothing to ruin the length.

She squealed a bit. "I'm so jealous of your hair! It's so clean and tidy, and you have such a great colour! I only _wish_ I could have your hair!"

Takada started giggling a bit but Misa only pouted and glared at her. "Not one word, Takada!"

"Oh relax, I know your hair is a natural colour, but you tend to fix it with highlights more than you admit."

I didn't even question what she meant by highlights. I'm not sure I wanted to know.

Misa began combing my hair down and I lulled at the touch. As much as I hated the fact I was being transformed into a girl at the moment, something about the way Misa combed my hair made he feel more relaxed. It was quite comforting actually. She was gentle, even while washing my hair, and didn't pull too hard. There were a few knots she had to deal with, but it didn't hurt when she got them out. All in all, the treatment wasn't so bad.

She turned to Takada. "Could you work on his nails while I do his hair? Just some cleaning and filing should do while I'm working."

Before long, Takada took my left hand and started cleaning under the nails. It would hurt a few times, but once that was done, the filing came along and that in itself wasn't too bad.

Teri sat in front of me then. "So tell me why you lack so much confidence in this, Mello. Surely you know what you're doing is not only going to be a big help to L, but it'll prove your dedication to the detective."

I groaned a bit. "When you've lived a life of people always mistaking you for a girl, you get tired of it after a while."

"That doesn't answer my question. You're still smarter than anyone I've ever met, maybe even Light himself, and you could be quite handsome if you dressed properly. Why do you keep your head down so much? Why the baggy clothes?"

I shrugged a bit. "I don't know. I just… do. I don't like to be noticed, so I wear dark clothes. The less people who see me, the more I can get done and the less times I'm called out for something."

Misa giggled again. "You're such a silly boy. Why _wouldn't_ you want people to notice you!? You're so pretty!"

I growled at her until Teri stepped in.

"Ignore her. She thinks everything is pretty. She once called a voodoo doll pretty."

"It was pretty! It had nice, soft, dark hair!"

Teri scoffed. "That hair probably belonged to the girl it was used for."

"Well, she had nice hair either way." The bubbly woman defended, continuing to shape my hair.

Teri rolled her eyes. "Back to our conversation, might I ask if something happened to you when you were younger to make you so insecure?"

I slumped into my chair a bit but was brought back up by Misa.

I sighed. "Well, it's not exactly a secret to anyone anymore so why shouldn't I tell you? Maybe it was because I was raped as a kid."

Silence filled the room but Teri didn't stop her grin. She seemed all too glad that I'd told her.

"And I suppose you don't want something like that happening to you again, so you hide behind dark clothing and close to the shadows."

I shrugged again. "I guess. But I only ever really started hiding away from people after my parents started ignoring me. They kept looking at me funny and would shy away from giving any love or support after my incident with that monster. It wasn't until after Light came into the picture that I started trusting anyone outside L or Matt."

Teri seemed to understand. "It makes sense why you hide away, then. But I hope you realize how far you've come from that incident. So now you have to break that bubble of insecurity and start strutting what you've got. And, if anyone were to try and harm you in that way again, use the confidence you have to show them whose boss. A kick to the groin is cheap, but as a woman it helps immensely. Try not to forget that."

For the first time since after I'd gotten the news I'd be playing as a female, I smiled. In return, Teri smiled back at me.

"Right there! _That's_ the smile you need to show off more often! Once we've got you in some better fitting clothes as well, we'll show you how to walk the walk."

Misa finally stopped shaping my hair and pulled out a hairdryer. For the next fifteen minutes she dried my hair while combing it once again. By the time she was done she'd moved on to clothing.

"For the moment," she started, "I have a few clothes you can borrow for testing purposes."

I slipped out of the chair and followed her to a chest she'd brought with her. In it were multitudes of clothing all in different styles and fits.

She gave me a quick look. "Lose the shirt, sweetie. I need to measure your torso."

Feeling more than a little irritated I did as told and removed my shirt. She then took a measuring tape to my chest, my waist, and then my hips.

"Wow, almost the same measurements as me! Your bust size we can easily change with a water bra, but the hips and waist are perfect sizes! You should really show that off more, I could hardly tell you had such a figure under your normal clothes!"

I shrugged, placing my hands in my jean pockets. I suddenly felt a poke to my spine and I shot up straight as an arrow.

Teri chuckled. "Good. Now keep that posture and don't put your hands in your pockets. Show the world that you care about yourself more than anyone else."

Misa giggled a bit. "And don't forget to bump out the booty a little! Women kill for that kind of butt, so showcase it!"

I rolled my eyes. "You women are weird."

"Yes," Teri chortled out, "and we're also mysterious, problematic, and can turn on a dime. So I suggest giving us some respect."

Misa then brought out a pair of leather pants. "I know you like darker clothes as opposed to bright colours, so I think leather would be best suited for you at the moment. When we go shopping though, you'll have to pick out more than just black clothes for your time in school. Remember, what I have is just a test set of clothes." Her eyes lowered to my crotch area then. "I'll also have to ask that you wear some kind of bandage on your… area. If you're going to be wearing tight leather, and looking like a female, there can't be any… erm… bulges."

I snickered a bit at that. "Alright, but it might be tougher than you think."

Teri then laughed. "Sure, Mello. A fifteen year old kid like you will have much difficulty hiding your parts. I so believe that."

"You saying I'm small?"

She scoffed. "I'm saying I can't see anything to prove otherwise. But, you aren't wearing the leather pants at the moment, so we'll have to wait and see."

Misa then dug into her trunk again and brought out a mid-drift, blue tank top, with a short leather jacket, mid-calf heels, and a black beanie.

She handed them to me and commanded I dress into them. Knowing I wasn't getting out of this, I did as told and went to the bathroom to change. Getting the tank top on was easy, but the leather pants were another story. Being that it wasn't a breathable fabric, they weren't easy to slide on. Thankfully though I was able to move around in them more than I thought I would be able to. I debated on telling Misa that I had to go commando in order to fit them over my hips, but decided not to tell her as payback for turning me into a girl.

I laced on the heels, which were a size or so bigger than my actual shoe size, pulled on the jacket, and donned the beanie hat.

I looked in the mirror at myself, and I had to admit I made a pretty convincing girl.

Sighing a bit, I stepped out to the masses and the three women were quite impressed.

Misa giggled a bit. "It's so perfect! I can't even see a bulge!"

I huffed. "That's 'cause it's all being squished into my abdomen."

"Or it's all nonexistent." Teri said nonchalantly.

I scoffed. "I will seriously pull my pants down if you say one more thing about my junk!"

"Save it for your boyfriend, princess." She sniped.

A moment of silence passed before I smiled at her. "I like you."

She bowed a bit. "Likewise!"

Misa giggled again. "Alright, now to start training you on how to walk with some confidence!"

"After that," Takada spoke up, "we work on your hair some more, then nails, then makeup."

I blinked. "Do you women seriously endure this almost every day?"

Teri shrugged. "Most of us. You'll have to just to keep up the appearance of being a girl. Sorry."

I groaned, but accepted my fate.

"Alright then. Let's get on with this."

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**_A/N: Reviews welcomed!_**


	27. Chapter 27

_**A/N: Last chapter for today, but I'm going to warn you hat the next two chapters may be longer than the others by a tenfold. Also, I'll be focusing on Mello's P.O.V for a while because, let's face it, there isn't much excitement with the others after this point.**_

_**Once again, thank you all for the support, reviews are always welcomed, and enjoy the chapter!**_

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**(Matt P.O.V)**

I had my camera ready to shoot! Mello had been in wardrobe almost the entire day and I was more than prepared for what might come out of the dressing room! Not that I meant to be mean to the blonde, but seeing Mello as a chick was more than enough entertainment for me! I couldn't wait for the results!

I looked over to L and Light who were printing out the identifications for their part in this investigation. L would be a history teacher, and Light would be the Literary teacher. Both had agreed to be there in the school in case Mello was having any troubles on his own. L had made up this part of the mission due to his fear of something happening to the blonde. After our kidnapping a few years back, I couldn't blame him for wanting to be cautious. If something _did_ happen to Mello though, and he wasn't able to fight for himself, I was more than willing to knock a few heads about for him. I wasn't as strong as the blonde, but I could throw a good punch if needed. Wammy would be here at the house monitoring Mello's every move. Of course, Near and I would be helping and keeping in touch with Mello. If anything went wrong, we'd call L and Light's cell phones and alert them instantaneously.

The head of the school district knew full well that there would be a mole in the school system, but did not know who the mole would be. All they had to do was pull a few strings and make it so the three were registered in the school system. Usually L was hesitant to make an appearance outside the computer screen, but for Mello he was willing to put up with the classrooms and crowds. I doubt he'd leave for the day without a headache though.

Finally their identifications were printed and carded, and they were ready for the mission. All they needed now was Mello.

"I wonder what's taking them so long." Light commented. "It's like their literally giving him a sex-change."

L shrugged but still had a grin on his face. "I'm still amazed he's willing to go through with this. I was hoping to have him kicking and screaming."

I laughed at that. "What amazing action shots those would be!"

Near feebly punched my arm. "Quit making fun of Mello! I seriously doubt _you_ would commit to this as much as he has, even if he _does_ hate it!"

"Near's right, Matt." Light piped up. "Mello needs more support right now than you think. He's going to be working undercover, playing a roll he hates, just for L. I'd hoped his partner would be a little more supportive than this."

His words got to me in my heart. I guess I was overdoing it a little.

I exhaled. "You're right. I'll stop being an ass about it." I then looked at my camera and grinned a bit. "Can I still take pictures?"

L scoffed. "No, that's my job." The detective said as he grabbed my camera. "Your job is to support him, myjob is to embarrass him."

Light shook his head at him. "Have you no soul?"

"Nope. Sold it years ago to become the world's greatest detective."

Light chuckled. "This explains a lot."

Before L could counter we all heard a door open and Misa ran into the room looking happier than when she'd first arrived. She was so happy she was bouncing in her spot.

"Well, gentlemen, it took quite a bit of doing, but we've managed to make you the perfect teenaged girl out of Mello!"

I heard L click the camera behind me and I tried my best to hold in the giggles. I promised myself not to laugh when I saw Mello. To try and be supportive.

No promises when I was alone, though.

Misa giggled again then stopped her bouncing to become more serious. "Men, and younger men, I present to you; Melina."

The moment Mello stepped out from the corner, my giggles faded in an instant.

He was… I don't know any better term for it!

He was sexy!

Showing off a bit of the waist, he wore a tight, blue, mid-drift tank top, with a short leather jacket over top, hip-hugging leather pants that showed off his butt, along with calf-high black boots, the choker that disguised his voice, and a black beanie with a brim that covered his right eye a bit. His hair was feathered and styled to frame his face better, a small amount of lip-gloss on his lips making them shiny and just a bit tempting, and smoky eye-shadow with liner and fake lashes to make the blue-ness of his eyes pop out a lot more. I'm sure that there was a lot more done to him, but I couldn't notice the rest.

I heard Near fall out of his chair in pure shock. L and Light were speechless. We all were.

I only noticed the other two women were in the room as well because they started speaking.

"Melina," Teri began, "is ready for your mission, L."

"We will stay for the duration of your mission to help with her in any ways we can." Takada finished.

Misa started bouncing again. "So, what do you all think?! Isn't she gorgeous!?"

We were still speechless. There was no possible way that this was Mello. He was… he… fuck, he was sexy! I'd never seen him out of his baggy clothes before, not even when he changed in our room! He was just… WOW!

Mello took a few strides over to me, smile on his face and a sway in his hips.

I backed into my seat a bit more, feeling the heat rise to my face when he leaned down to look at me.

"Well Matt?" His female voice asked in a sultry tone. "Anything you'd like to say?"

I was getting incredibly light-headed now. The way his eyes stared at me, the movement of his hips and waist. I was going to lose it.

I finally found my words. "You're making me question my sexuality at the moment. You know this, I hope."

He shrugged, backing away a bit and turning to the girls behind him. "I think that's the best I'm going to get from him."

Misa squealed happily and started bouncing again. "Mello, you're so pretty! All the boys at that high school will want you!"

Mello gave another shrug. "Too bad for them, though. I'm taken for the moment." He turned back at me. "Unless Matt likes Melina more than Mello."

I shook my head. "Melina may be sexy, but knowing it's Mello under all that makes her even sexier!"

The blonde grinned at me. "Good answer, goggles."

Finally, L spoke up. "I hadn't thought you'd be able to make him look so convincing."

Light nodded. "Hell, I thought we'd at least see a bulge! Good thing the Adams apple hasn't come in yet."

Mello grinned at them. "Even I have to admit that they did a good job."

Near climbed up from the floor then. "I'm sorry, I think I blacked out there for a second. I was overcome by his beauty."

Mello, instead of trying to punch the albino, simply threw a smile his way. "Why thank you, Near. You should give the girls some credit for this. It was their work after all."

Teri laughed then. "There it is, princess! Make sure you have that confidence when you're in school! The men will want you more than an all you can eat buffet!"

I got a little territorial at this. "And I'll kick the ass of whoever touches you first!"

Mello cocked an eyebrow at me. "Too bad you'll be too busy being stuck here monitoring everything with Near and the girls to do anything. As for me, I'm going to enjoy making the boys at that school my bitches."

Teri started clapping a bit. "That right there is how you should act, Mello! Boys in public high schools are easy to manipulate."

"And you'll have to manipulate a few if we're going to get any information on the missing girls who have turned up dead." L added. "I'm chiefly interested to see if anything is going on in that school that we don't know about, particularly among the male populace. If anything turns up in the female ratio we'll know immediately since we'll be monitoring your every move."

He then tossed a device to Mello and he caught it instantly.

"You'll wear that on your wrist. It's a tracking device just in case something happens and we lose contact with you."

Light then handed him an ear piece. "Wear this and we can hear and see everything you can. It shouldn't be noticeable to anyone when you wear it."

L then continued. "We have cameras set up _everywhere_ in the school. This includes change rooms, bathrooms, and closets. We can't afford any blind spots."

I finally tore my eyes away from Mello to look at L. "Isn't it illegal to have cameras in the bathrooms and stuff?"

"The school board is looking the other way with this. They want this case solved and over with as quickly as possible, and with Mello's life on the line I'm not willing to take chances." He then looked at the blonde. "Are you still sure you want to do this? I gave you a chance to back out once, this will be your last opportunity to back out."

Mello exhaled. "I came this far, haven't I? I'm willing to put my life on the line for this. I'm still all for it."

L grinned at the blonde. "Then let us begin our mission."


	28. Chapter 28

_**A/N: I warned you all that this was going to be an incredibly long chapter! In fact, I took almost the whole night to write this, and since I was dead tired, there might be a few mistakes. (Sorry for that) However, the next one won't be so bad. This won't be a day by day scenario either. You'll see. ;)  
**_

_**Anyways, please enjoy and review if you can, and thank you all for the marvelous support!**_

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**(Mello P.O.V)**

I'd taken a day to prepare myself for this one. It was a day of reading over my character, making sure the equipment worked, and having Misa Amane take me for a shopping trip. Although I'm too sure she got more clothes for herself than she did for me.

Once my day of preparation was done, my day of reckoning began. From the moment Takada had dropped me off at school, I was ready for anything.

Ear piece in and tracking device on I stepped out of the car and was bombarded by the stares and looks some of the students gave me. Some girls were pouting, but most of the guys were giving me the longing look. I didn't exactly enjoy the stares at first, but remembering what Teri had told me I kept my head up, my feet planted, and strut as best as I could. The moment I had my confidence back, the entire school was my bitch.

When I stepped into the school, I heard a bit of a ringing from my ear piece and Matt's voice cleared through.

_"Well, looks like you're a hit already. Try to remember who you're with though."_

I hummed a bit before whispering, "Mello and Matt are an item, but Melina is a free bird."

_"What! You can't be serious!"_

I giggled to myself, happy to know I still had Matt around my little finger. "Quit talking to me, or I won't be able to concentrate."

The static feed went off after I swear I heard a growl, and I was on my own once again. Well… not completely alone. L and Light were still in the school somewhere, and I knew they'd be keeping an eye on me.

I strode through the school, visiting the office first to get my locker number, then went off to see the sights. All in all it was a terrific looking public school. It wasn't Wammys, but it was definitely something. The male to female ratio was about half and half, but I more than made a few heads turn. Teri had been correct about swaying the hips a bit, because I'm too sure not a single eye was on my face at the time. There were a few perverts looking at my chest, but that I could deal with. It's not like I actually had anything to offer there. It was literally just a bra filled with water. I couldn't help but feel weird with the extra weight though.

_'Note to self;' _I thought, _'Respect women with big cans. Lord knows they have back problems worse than mine at the moment.'_

I did my best not to show it though. I was a female to them. Boobs were a part of being a sixteen year old chick. But sweet mother of god were they fucking with my spine!

I finally found my locker and swiftly entered the combo. When it unlocked I began stacking my items. Books, pencils, erasers, etcetera… it was all for show really. I didn't need any of this crap. I would only be here for a week or so, and I was also a genius from Wammy's. This would all be a snap.

After finishing with my locker, I finally caught a bite.

"Hey beautiful."

I inwardly shivered at the voice, knowing it was male and eyeing me closely. However, I remembered what Teri had told me, and smiled playfully before looking past my locker door.

Tall, brown hair, incredibly muscular, bright blue eyes, and a dashing smile. All this and I still felt no need to cheat on Matt. Either that red head was my true love, or he was drugging me with something, because the guy before me was your typical high school hotty. Then again, after watching enough television shows on the subject, it was quite possible he was an ass in disguise.

I sighed inwardly. _'Showtime.'_

"Excuse me?" I asked genuinely, making sure I didn't sound incredulous when I'd spoken.

He grinned wider. "You heard me, I called you beautiful. I see you're new here and I was wondering if you wanted a tour of the school."

"Hey Chase!" Came the voice of another male figure making his way towards the jock. This one had darker skin and darker hair, but a lankier form. Maybe a wannabe jock?

"What's up, Mike?"

The one know as Mike leaned on the jock's shoulder. "Oh, I see you've got your eyes on the new girl. Amanda's gonna be upset."

He pushed the guy off of him. "Shut up, I just offered a tour of the school."

"Oh, a tour, or a '_tour'_?" The Mike guy drawled out.

_'Charm and poise, Mello. You can do this.'_ I thought to myself before bringing out my inviting smile.

"I'd love to take a tour with you, erm… Chase, was it? But I have class at the moment. Maybe later."

"Which class?"

I looked at my schedule. "Chem one. Room two zero four."

Chase closed my locker. "What a coincidence, that's my first class too."

"And mine and Amanda's!" Mike announced happily. "And it just so happens we need lab partners today." He leaned in close to me. "And _I_ happen to be needing one."

I could finally see what Teri, Takada, and Misa had all meant when they said I should enjoy my voluptuous appearance. It had barely been a half hour and I had these boys begging for me. I could almost hear Matt throwing a fit back home.

All my fears melted away and I giggled at the two boys.

"I'm sure I'll find my own partner, but thanks for letting me know."

"Shall we walk you there?" Chase suggested. "Or maybe I can stuff Mike here in a locker and I'll walk you there myself."

I smiled luridly at him. "Whatever you like."

Chase held out his arm in a gentlemanly gesture and I took it happily. Though I appeared to him like I desired to be by his side, my eyes were rolling inside my mind. What a moronic thing to do. Trust someone almost immediately upon getting to know them. Chase had no idea what he was doing, and could easily wind up dead in a ditch if he laid one finger out of line. I'm too sure Matt would help me hide the body too.

I smiled to myself at the thought of Matt throwing a hissy fit at the monitors. He was going to be pissed when I got home that day.

He took me to chemistry class, as promised, but he let me go after he was practically tackled by a ruddy-haired girl who squealed upon his arrival.

I didn't look upset in the slightest. I knew there was more men to be manipulated. Hell, half of them were staring at me the moment I walked into class.

The ruddy-haired girl pouted after she hugged Chase. "Baby, why didn't you come to my locker? I waited all morning for you!"

"Amanda, this new girl needed my help finding her classes. I was more than willing to help… erm… what was your name again?"

I smiled happily. "Melina. And thank you again for showing me to my class, but I've already done a walkthrough of the school. I know where the rest are, but it was still quite kind of you to help me out. Thank you again, you're a very sweet boy."

I then made my way to the teacher of the class, making damn sure I swayed my hips a bit. I could already feel the eyes on my waist and butt. Good. I needed to draw them in if I was going to get anywhere with the male populace.

The teacher, Miss Gale, introduced me to the class and sat me beside two males of the class who were more than nice to me once I'd sat down.

Then the boredom set in.

All this stuff was child's play compared to what we learned in chemistry at Wammys. Hell, I learned to make gunpowder at the time I was ten! They were teaching the reactions between sulfur and iron. God, if it wasn't for the mission I'd seriously get up and teach the class myself! But, I had to contain my emotions and deal. Public school was a pathetic waste for Mello, but a normal day for Melina. I couldn't lose it now.

Finally a few beakers were placed in front of us, some sugar, potassium nitrate, a skillet, and directions to making a rudimentary smoke bomb. We were then asked to pair up and that's when things got a little hectic.

More than five guys at once asked me if I needed a partner, Chase and Mike included, and a bit of a fight broke out when one of them challenged the other.

I couldn't hold the eye-roll and decided to do the assignment myself. By the time they'd decided on playing rock, paper, scissors' to see who'd be my partner, my smoke bomb was done and I'd tested it out in front of the teacher. Miss Gale was more than impressed that I was able to piece it all together without any help.

I simply smiled at her, keeping up my appearance. "I guess I'm just lucky. It would have been nice to have some help though."

Chase then spoke up. "I promise you I will not leave you hindered next class. Miss Gale, could I please be Melina's partner until she's more settled into the class. I think that's only fair."

"Chase!" Amanda spoke up unhappily. "We're always lab partners!"

He turned to her. "But sweetie, Melina's new here. She needs a partner in her chem class." He then turned back to me. "What do you say? Partners?"

Although I was more than capable of doing all the work myself, I nodded happily. "Partners it is."

The bell rang out and I grabbed my bag. Next up was my literary course with Light as my teacher. Chase had the same class, but not Amanda or Mike. He seemed to be gladdened by that.

When we arrived, he instantly noticed the new teacher but I wasn't fazed a bit by him being there.

I glanced at Light who in turn took off his 'glasses' as I entered the room. Both he and L had special glasses that allowed them to tap into my ear piece and watch my every move. Light seemed to be smiling at my previous escapade with Chase, Mike, and Amanda, and he only smiled further when the boys of this class started sitting next to me or asking me questions.

Chase sat right next to me at the front of the class and began asking questions himself.

"So where are you from, Melina? You've got a bit of an accent to you, so I was wondering…"

I giggled a bit, smiling luridly. "It's not polite to comment on a woman's accent, you know."

He jolted at this. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean…"

I giggled again, loving the way I could make this jock completely melt at my voice. "I'm from England. Born and raised. My parents moved us to L.A for a change of pace."

I noticed the other boys sitting around me start to move in a bit. One boy from behind me even spoke up.

"So you like, drink tea and everything? No coffee?"

I scoffed a bit at the stereotype. "Not all of us drink tea, but I will admit I prefer it better than coffee. I'm not against anyone who drinks coffee, but the horrid breath is disgusting."

Chase chuckled a bit. "Maybe I should take you to the coffee shop just down the street at lunch. They serve tea there too, and I promise not to have coffee breath afterwards. Minty fresh, I guarantee you."

I waited for the inevitable response. Soon the earpiece static came on and Watari voiced L's opinion.

"Absolutely not. Stay in the school at all costs today."

The moment the static cleared, I hummed.

"I'm too sure my parents wouldn't like me going off school grounds, especially with a stranger. They're quite protective of me, you understand, and I'm not keen on having anything bad happen to me."

Chase chuckled again. "I suppose you don't know me all too well, no. But maybe some time later this week?"

I grinned at him. "Wouldn't Amanda be upset seeing you with another woman?"

"We can just go as friends, she'll understand."

I hummed a bit of laughter. "For your sake I'd hope so. We woman can turn on a dime if given the opportunity."

_'Or so I've heard.'_

Chase laughed. "Good to know that for future reference."

The second bell rang and class began. Light had introduced himself to the class using an alias, as well as L I would assume, but I couldn't help but smile at the thought of knowing who Light _really_ was. It all made the class just a bit better, considering my work was still shit compared to Wammys workload. For once, I missed be challenged and working hard for grades.

Once my Lit class was over I had a spare slot for the day. Chase had Math class, but he'd promised to meet me in the cafeteria at lunch.

"Be lucky you don't have my math class," he said bitterly. Upon my questioning, he shuddered a bit. "The teacher has sexually assaulted females in the past but has never been convicted. The police said there was no proof, but I don't trust them."

I thanked him for the information and made a mental note to add this man to the suspect list in our murder case.

Now I was alone once again.

During my spare slot I took the time to walk around a bit and take in the feel of an actual public school. At one point in my life I'd wondered what it would be like to be a regular kid instead of a super genius. I was living in that what if moment right now and I was almost disappointed. Nothing seemed to be better than Wammys house. It was boring, crowded, and less challenging. I guess it could be worse, but it was definitely not as fun as I'd hoped it would be.

As I rounded a corner I heard the familiar voice of Mike call after me. Within moments he was at my side, huffing and heaving.

"I've… been looking… all over… for you." He collapsed to his knees and I helped him up.

When he was back up I giggled. "Oh? Why me?"

Mike shrugged, trying to play it cool. "You know… new girl, in a new school, wanting to protect you. Trying to be a gentleman."

I fluttered my eyes a bit like Misa had taught me. She said something about reeling in more trust by doing so.

"Well, you're very sweet for thinking about me." I started to walk again with my new companion.

Mike laughed nervously. "You know, I was almost too sure you'd tell me to piss off."

"Aw, why would I do that to a sweetheart like you?"

Mike shrugged. "Once girls get a look at Chase, I'm just a nuisance afterwards."

I scoffed. "Chase may look like prince charming, but it's the odd-jobs that woman should want."

"Oh? Care to explain why?"

I smiled happily as I thought about Matt. "I have a boyfriend from England who's the sweetest man to have ever lived, and he's not even remotely a prince charming. Nope, I'd say he's the biggest nerd to have been born on this planet." I held in my laughter knowing Matt was listening to every word of this. "But, he treats me with respect and love, and loves me for me. Maybe Chase has that in him, but I doubt it's for me. I'm not sure I want it either. I'm still holding out hope that my boyfriend will wait for me to return to England."

Mike smiled at this. "You have a kind soul, Melina. I don't meet many girls like you."

I shrugged. "I'm not like most girls."

_'Believe me, dude.'_

Mike laughed a bit and put an arm on my shoulder. "Since we've both got a spare at the moment, what's say I buy you an early lunch?"

I chuckled at him. "No thank you, Mike. I won't ask you to waste your money on me. I can pay for my own meal, thank you."

He shrugged. "As a lazy tailor would say, suit yourself."

I rolled my eyes at the terrible joke, but my smile never left. Mike seemed like an alright guy for a weirdo. Then again, Matt was pretty weird himself and I'd fallen for him. No, I don't think I'll give up hope for Mike quite yet.

We made our way to the entrance of the cafeteria but Mike stopped us abruptly. Upon my questioning, he pointed to an elder woman scolding two younger men for what looked as if to be nothing in particular.

"That's the home economics teacher, Mrs. Collins. She's strict, overbearing, and hates teenagers. The only reason she's here at all is because the Principal is her sister."

"No way!" I whispered in surprise. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"Here's a doozy for you. The Principal, Ms. Kathers, is Chase's mother."

I almost lost it. "Chase is the principal's _son_!" I whispered to him. "No way!"

"Oh yeah. And it's the only reason he never gets into any trouble. No detention or expulsions. The guy has a clean slate and it's all because he's her son. It's kinda unfair if you ask me, but the lady is nice all around anyway. You'd like her once you meet her."

The woman stopped scolding the two boys and began heading my way.

Mike nudged me and whispered, "Don't look her in the eye, you'll turn to stone!"

The woman, Mrs. Collins, strode past me then, giving a glance of distaste my way before leaving.

I cocked an eyebrow at her general direction. "Wow. Someone needs a facelift." I joked, mentally adding her as well to my suspect list.

Mike snorted at my comment but quickly controlled himself. "You're gonna get expelled if you say that shit here!"

I scoffed. "Oh please, I played the penis game and won, and I still have never been even remotely punished."

Mike gave me a look as we entered the cafeteria. "Are you _sure_ you wanna hold out on that boyfriend of yours? Because I know more than a few guys here, me being one of them, who would more than love to have you for a girlfriend. Especially if you continue to say awesome shit like that."

I giggled. "Don't let it fool you. I only played the penis game to prove my dominance in my class. The moment it starts up here, I promise you I'll win by any means necessary."

Mike placed a hand on his chest. "You're a woman after my own heart!"

I felt myself shake with laughter bubbling inside of me. _'If you only knew the truth.'_

* * *

After an early lunch with Mike, Chase joined us at the beginning of the actual lunch period. Everything was going smoothly, a few flirting men here and there, with a few warnings from Watari and L. It was all going well. However, the peace did not last for very long.

One of the _real_ jocks, a big beefy man with blonde locks and gigantic arm muscles, caught sight of me and wanted a piece of the action right away. Him… and his friends.

At the moment I got up to throw away my garbage, he jumped me. Closing me off at the garbage bins while his friends stood around him and I. I have to say, the set of circumstances was quite intimidating. To say the least.

He flipped some hair away from his eyes. "You and me at the docks tonight." He grabbed my chin, making me look up at his eyes. "I wanna party with you."

I scoffed. "Not interested." I said as I snapped my chin away from him, trying to squeeze past him.

I barely got a centimetre away from him when he grabbed my waist and pulled me into his arms. The guy had a vile feel to him that made me want to vomit. Hell, just the scent of him was enough to make me gag.

He started rubbing his hands up and down my waist and I shuddered sickeningly.

"Fuck, girl, do you feel good. You must work out or something." He then leaned in to whisper, "I wonder how much more of you is this tight."

That was the breaking point.

I utilized the sharp heel and jammed it into his foot, causing him to scream and let go of me, I then forced my palm into his nose blinding him with pain, then kneed him in the balls and that was the end of it. The bastard was down for the count and his buddies were too afraid to take me on.

I flashed a smile at them. "Anyone else wanna go at me?"

The jocks all shook their heads in fear, two of them helping up the one who'd groped me.

I scoffed. "Cowards."

I made my way back to my spot where Chase and Mike were both gaping at me.

Mike fist bumped me. "Bitch, you're insane! But I love and respect ya just a bit more for taking on that tool!"

Chase laughed. "No kidding. That guy uses women all the time, and most of the girls take his grope fests as a form of flattery. He's also been known to abuse his girlfriends. Not a nice guy."

_'No,'_ I thought to myself, _'but a potential suspect.'_

After lunch was done Chase, Mike, and I had gym to attend to. I would be taking a female phys. Ed. class while the other two were in a co-ed class. L and Light planned this out so I could enter into the female populace more easily and befriend a few girls. That sounded easy enough, but I happened to have the knowledge of knowing a girl could turn on you in an instant if something goes wrong. So, I had to gain their trust somehow.

I changed in the stalls, making sure no girls followed me and switched out the water bra for a stuffed sports bra. It was a bit tighter than the other one, but I had to deal. This all had to look at real as possible, so I'd have to go through a bit of torture.

I made sure no bulges were showing in the mirror, my choker was on perfectly, and nothing looked out of place. I even tied my hair up a bit but in a way that didn't give any masculinity in a way.

The earpiece buzzed again and Matt came on.

_"You look fine, dude!" _ He said angrily.

I chuckled a bit. "Mad that you can't stop anyone from touching me?" I asked quietly.

_"I'm angrier at that asshole who fucking groped you! I hope you gave that bastard a bloody nose!"_

"And possibly a broken foot." I admitted. "Now shush, I'm going to class now."

The buzz turned off and I left for the gymnasium.

My Gym teacher, Ms. McMillan, was a small blonde with an attitude like she was coked up on drugs. I have to say, I think I liked her the most.

"Girls, this is Melina. She's new to our class, so let's give her a warm welcome!"

The girls cheered for me a bit and clapped and I had to restrain myself from rolling my eyes. I replaced my instinct with a kind smile.

"Okay, ladies, today we're playing dodge-ball. Us against the boys." There was a long groan between the women but they had to accept it.

When the huddle broke I pulled one of the girls aside and asked why the girls were all so down hearted about having to play dodge-ball. I'd suspected it was because they hated the physical activity, however…

"It's not that it's dodge-ball." The brunette replied. "It's because we're facing the guys and coach Jared. They're unbeatable in every game. And it doesn't help that coach Jared talks down to women. I heard he's a womanizer, too. I'd believe it, since he's always hitting on Ms. MacMillan and some of the girls in her class. It's really creepy."

This intrigued me. "Well then, it looks like I'll have to break their streak."

_'And add one more to the suspect list.'_

The short brunette scoffed. "Good luck with that."

A whistle blew and we readied for the game. Chase took the front in front of me and we managed to get a few words in.

"Good luck, sweetheart. You're gonna need it."

My nostrils flared but my sneer didn't leave. "You have no idea of the hell you just got yourself in."

He blinked at me, but had no time to question.

The whistle blew and the game started. More than half of the girls were taken out in the first minute, but I made up for the losses with my swiftness and power-throws. I was the king at dodge-ball. Everyone at Wammys hated me during the games because I dodged faster, threw better, and had the aim of hawk. I could hit a guy one hundred feet back, square to the head, while being targeted by everyone else. It was a gift I was rather proud of, and it didn't help when sensei Riu started teaching me flips and tricks on the side of my training.

I could see now why I was banned from playing dodge-ball at Wammys. But here?

I knocked out two guys in one throw, and eliminated another by catching the ball. I was perceptive and quick, not to mention hard headed. Nothing was going to stop me from winning this game.

We finally came to a showdown between myself and Chase. The little bugger could hold his own in dodge-ball war. But it had to end right now.

We both held a ball and I could feel the tension climb. The girls were cheering for me, and the guys were silent in utter astonishment. I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of pride at getting this far.

Finally, Chase made for the throw but I analyzed it almost immediately. Long range, power throw, lots of gusto to it. An easy sidestep and I can dodge it no problem.

But, that was too easy. And I liked a challenge.

As soon as the ball left his hand I made for the jump and it missed me completely. And, of course, I just had to show off in the middle of my air-roundhouse kick and threw the ball I had with all my might, hitting Chase point blank in the middle of his chest. He went down like a rock, and I landed my jump perfectly.

The girls started screaming in pure excitement and ran to hug me, while the boys all fell into utter dismay. They couldn't believe they'd just lost to a single girl after a winning streak like theirs. When Chase sat up, even he was amazed at me.

The brunette I'd talked to earlier was just as excited as the rest of them and she ran up and jumped onto my back.

"Holy shit, that was amazing! You were like a ninja or some shit! Oh my god! We WON!"

I laughed at her reaction. "I thought it was about time the girls got their win."

She continued to hug me while on my back. "I am in love with you right now!"

I chuckled at her again. "Uh, sorry, but I'm kinda into guys."

_'The one truth I've probably told today.'_

She laughed, letting me go. "Hey, what class do you have after this?"

"History in room one zero nine."

She squealed. "Dude, I have the same class! We'll totally go together!"

I smiled happily at her. I had officially earned the trust of the girls.

* * *

Now that gym was over I had one class left for the day. History with professor L.

I couldn't help the small giggles to myself at knowing L was my teacher for History. I could just see the looks on people's faces when they saw the strange detective, in disguise with an alias, sitting and acting the way his did. I was probably going to lose my shit the moment he started talking. He'd probably send me out into the hallway to gather myself up so I wouldn't ruin the mission, but goddamn was the image hilarious to me!

Crystal, the brunette I'd friended in gym class, had walked me to the classroom when we were stopped by Chase and Mike yet again that day.

"Let me guess," I spoke, "you have the same class as we do?"

Chase shrugged as his answer.

I rolled my eyes. "You know, I'm too sure that you're following me now."

"Stalker." Crystal mumbled.

Chase huffed. "Who, me? What do I have to gain by stalking you?"

"A nice piece of ass?" The brunette guessed.

I elbowed her playfully. "Not funny."

"Well, she isn't wrong." Mike spoke up.

Crystal scoffed. "What about Amanda? Isn't she your girlfriend?"

"We were just dating." Chase argued. "Besides, I broke it off with her in math class after I caught her making out with David."

"Ew, the guy with all the piercings?" The brunette asked, mildly disgusted.

"That's what I said!" Mike pointed out to the girl beside me. "Gross, right!?"

She shuddered. "The one that grosses me out the most is the one on his nipple."

"Yeah, he has to stop showcasing that. Not flattering."

I finally stepped in. "Shouldn't we go to class right now?"

At that mention the three of them hurried into the room before the second bell went. I walked in after them and tried the hardest I could not to laugh at their expression when they saw L. Of course the man was in his little crouching position in his chair, reading over some papers while the rest of the class eyed him closely.

The rest of that class was spent in almost complete silence. The only thing to be said was L giving his lesson plan to us half-heartedly.

Chase leaned in to me. "Man, this substitute is weird."

I giggled at him. _'You have no idea, dude.'_

My first day would end in the next half hour. And in this one day, I'd made three allies, and a few suspects. By the end of this week we should have our murderer out in the open, and I could ditch the disguise for good.

But this was just day one.

Tomorrow, day two.


	29. Chapter 29

_**A/N: The next chapter will be the last Mello p.o.v for a while, I swear it! I just can't find the excitement in writing about a few guys watching Mello through monitors and glasses. Not to mention they'd be incredibly short chapters, but maybe I'll mention it later on.  
**_

_**Also, how are you guys diggin the longer chapters? Awesome? Time wasting? I'd like to know for future reference.**_

_**Once again, enjoy the chapter!**_

* * *

**(Mello P.O.V)**

My week in the school was both tough and easy at the same time. Easy in the sense where I was kicking ass in all of my classes, but tough in the sense where guys just wouldn't leave me alone. I kept up my appearance though and was as sweet as I could be to them when I inevitably turned down their date invites.

And there were _a lot_ of them.

There were even times where I'd get the occasional guy to carry my stuff for me or I'd have him buy me lunch. Not once did I ask them to do so, but if they offered… why turn them down? I'd said yes almost immediately when one guy offered to buy me chocolate, considering I had to go through the days drier than the Sahara Desert. I'd learned just how bad my chocolate addiction was that week, and reminded myself to always keep at least one on handy for the rest of my life.

I didn't stray far from the friends I'd made the first day I was there. Crystal, Chase, and Mike were usually by my side during the days, and all three of them would mock me for the many times I was asked out on a date. I shrugged it off. It was kind of all part of the mission anyways. If I could fool a few hormonal guys into thinking I was a sexy, sixteen year old girl, instead of a raging, fifteen year old guy, I'd say I was doing an awesome job here. Not to mention L and Light were impressed that I hadn't snapped yet and kicked the ass of every guy that asked me out. It didn't stop them from worrying though and they kept close eyes on me at all times.

Matt and Near were also impressed with me, but Matt was starting to lose his mind at seeing me get hit on so many times. In fact, at the moment the first guy to ask me out spoke, the gamer turned on the earpiece and screamed at me to say no. In the background of his yelling I heard Misa and Takada try to restrain him while Near held his microphone away from him.

My poor Matt. The things I'd have to do to earn his trust after all this was over.

Thursday came around and now the date invitations had changed into dance invitations. Some of the guys had ditched their previous girls to ask me to this fall dance and it earned me a few haters in the female populace. The favourite words being slut, whore, and bitch.

Slut and whore I couldn't see, but even as a male I was, in fact, a downright bitch when I had to be. Too bad for the haters though that I turned down all of their guys. I wasn't given permission to go to the dance by L and Light, so I didn't bother to show any emotions for it. Besides, we needed to find our murderer first, and out of the four suspects I'd come up with, there wasn't much to go on.

My final class of the day had come around and half an hour in L had called me up to speak with him. Among the normal teenagers it looked as if he wanted to speak about my assignment, but the actual truth involved the murder case.

I sat down beside him and he began to whisper.

"We checked all your suspects, but other than the behaviours they share there isn't much to go on. I'd go as far as saying that they aren't guilty in this case."

I nodded, feeling a little down at the thought my suspect list was all wrong. "So what next then?"

He pulled out a few papers and showed them to me. They were pictures of the girls who had turned up dead. There were two to be shown, each from the school I was currently in, and both exceptionally pretty. Krista and Emma were their names.

"These two girls share many similarities. But the one I find most incriminating is that both of them have dated that Chase guy you hang out with."

"Seriously? Why wouldn't he tell me that?"

"Maybe he wants to keep it secret. Keep his head down and out of the loop so he doesn't look suspicious." He put the papers back into his bag, then turned back to me. "Mello, I want you to go out with Chase and find out what you can about the girls he dated in the past. Maybe you can grab some information from him that I'm not getting."

I nodded, but grinned. "Good luck explaining this to Matt when you get home today."

I stood up from my chair as I heard the detective scoff. "He's not going to be happy." He mumbled.

I took my seat next to Chase again then turned to him.

"So, you remember that coffee shop you offered to take me to?"

His eyes lit up the moment I mentioned it. "Would you like to go today after school?"

I smiled luridly at him. "I'd love to."

And a date was made. I'm too sure Matt was throwing a fit behind the earpiece and was having to be tied down to a chair in order to keep him from destroying all the equipment.

_'Sorry Mattie,'_

The last bell rang out for the day and both Chase and I were off for the coffee shop. Before we headed out though, we stopped by the principal's office for some reason.

Chase went inside her office with a small knock.

"Hey mom, I won't be home until later today. Going out with a… a friend."

She looked up at us and noticed me immediately.

"Oh? A _friend_ Chase? Surely you can come up with a better excuse than that."

The boy blushed a bit before sighing. "I thought I told you to stop embarrassing me like that."

Principal Kathers only smiled at her son. "Just go have fun, dear. I won't worry knowing you're in good hands." She then looked at me. "Nice job on the dodge-ball game."

I grinned, blushing a little.

She then looked back at her son. "Darling, remember what we talked about though. I'd hate to see you get hurt again."

Chase nodded a bit. "I understand mother, can you please just…"

While they squabbled a bit I looked around the room and found various antiquities. The one that caught my eye the most though was the small, ancient looking rope on the wall behind her. Something about it looked vaguely interesting.

She caught notice of my wandering eyes. "Oh, you like?! I got it at an auction with my father when I was younger. It was used on the set of a rather famous movie at the time. If I'd known sooner he was wasting all our hard earned money on this type of stuff though, I'm too sure I would have given him a talking to."

I giggled. "Men. You can't train them to be good. You just have to get lucky."

She giggled back. "Too true, my dear. I suppose my mother wasn't a lucky woman. I'm almost glad my father died when he did." She admitted quietly.

What a very personal thing to admit. Even Chase was a bit nervous by what she'd said.

"Mother, don't you think that was a little… much?"

"Oh Chase, I don't care what people think of me. Besides, she doesn't seem fazed."

I chuckled to show she was correct. "Yes, Chase, I don't care. Your mother seems like a fine woman." I said as I began holding onto his arm to watch her reaction.

She only smiled happily though. "You two make a sweet couple."

I smiled happily at her before Chase closed the door in embarrassment and led the way out. I may not have gotten the reaction I wanted from her, but Chase seemed more than embarrassed by my sudden affection. Embarrassed… but happy.

On the way to the coffee shop some of the guys who had asked me out were more than eyeing Chase for having snagged me when they couldn't. Some of the girls looked a little relieved though, knowing that I hadn't wanted any of their guys. To be honest, I didn't want this one either. I'd wanted to go home and cuddle on the couch with Matt while watching a horror flick that was supposed to be on tonight. But, plans do change. I suppose Matt would have to wait a bit. I doubt this would take very long anyways.

We made it to the shop in no time and a sudden buzzing started in my ear.

Watari soon came on. "L says he'll be home right away. Light has your coordinates and sights on him. You're free to act as you please."

I hummed a bit in response, knowing I couldn't say anything with Chase so close to me.

We found a table for two, ordered our drinks, and soon my questioning began.

It started simple enough. "So why ask me to come here? Other than the fact I said I enjoyed tea, there isn't much of a reason to be here."

Chase smiled at me. "Maybe I just wanted some alone time with you. We don't spend a lot of one on one time together."

I scoffed. "We're in almost every class together and you say we don't spend any time with each other. Classic."

He chuckled slightly. "I meant we don't spend any time alone. You're always getting asked out or groped by some other guy at school. I swear the last one to touch you I almost took him out myself."

"Too bad I gave him a bloody nose before you had your chance." I said as our drinks were placed in front of us.

I cringed at the tea. This was not England's brew but I guess it was close enough.

I took a sip and Chase chuckled at my reaction.

"Sorry, this place is more famous for its coffee than the tea."

I coughed a bit and cleared my throat. "Boy do I miss England right about now. But back to our conversation. I think you just wanted me all to yourself, to be honest. Getting a bit jealous of all the guys asking me out?"

"Considering you're the new girl, I wouldn't put the thought past you. Most of the new kids struggle the moment they enter school, but you've had it easier than the rest of us. Not to mention you're a genius in the trade and barely need me as a lab partner. I've caught you more than once rolling your eyes at the way Mike screws up every time we mix chemicals."

"We were given instructions, and deadly chemicals. Of course I'm going to roll my eyes when he messes up. I'm surprised I haven't yelled at him yet."

Chase snickered. "I'm not even going to mention the way you handle the other girls at school."

"Oh no, do tell. I'd like to hear your opinion on those bitches." I smiled through.

The guy nearly choked on his coffee from laughing. "That right there is what I'm talking about. You don't get involved with the whole nattering and name calling, but you save it for later. You don't let it bother you, you don't let what they say about you bother yourself. I would have done anything for someone as confident as you when I first started dating."

_'Jackpot.'_

"Oh? There were others in your past other than Amanda? I'd like to hear about them."

He went quiet for a long minute, and I could see in his eyes that this was a touchy subject for him. Something was definitely wrong.

"Chase?" I tried.

He jolted a bit at my voice. "Oh, I'm sorry. I… erm… I just kinda lost myself there."

"Something wrong?" I asked genuinely.

He gave a small sigh. "I… I have dated in the past, but the two girls I had a real connection with didn't exactly care about me in the way I did for them. Krista cheated on me and blamed me for not being attentive to her, and Emma dumped me because I told her I was holding out until marriage. It tore my heart out when they'd done that."

Krista and Emma. Those were the names on the papers under their pictures. Was he really…?

He gave another sigh. "Even worse, some maniac is on the loose right now and… well… they happened to be in his way."

This took me by surprise a bit. He was so open about their murders, but why would he be? Wouldn't he want to hide his crimes? Did he even commit them?

He looked up and into my eyes at this point. "Maybe Krista and Emma broke my heart, but I would never wish death upon them. It's just sickening." He then realized his morbidity. "I'm sorry, I really shouldn't be talking about this. I just can't believe they're…"

Compassion overwhelmed me at this point and I took his hand. I didn't care if he was the murderer or not, he needed comfort. And if he was the murderer, which I was almost sure that he wasn't, this made for a good act in order for his trust.

"Don't even worry about it, Chase. I know how terrible you must feel for their deaths. I'm sorry for your loss."

He smiled a bit at me and enclosed his hand around mine. There wasn't anything there, though. No spark or butterflies. Not like when I held Matt's hand. With Matt, I felt like I could do anything, but Chase was just part of the game.

The boy chuckled a bit. "Hey, I know it might be a bit late, but you know about the dance tomorrow night, right?"

I groaned. "Yes, and I've had almost every guy at school ask me to go."

Chase chuckled. "Well, would it be so terrible if we went together?"

I blinked at his question and awaited for someone to give me a response in the ear piece.

A slight pause came after the buzz started and L spoke. _"Mello, I'll give you permission to go, but only if you're certain that things will be alright with you. We'll still have cameras on you at all cost, but we can't be at the dance personally."_

I took a breath before deciding.

"Alright, Chase. I'll go with you."

His eyes lit up a bit more. "Really! Oh geez, I thought for sure you'd turn me down!"

I giggled a bit. "Well, you're a lot better than the other choices."

He chuckled then contorted into worry. "Oh, but it's a formal affair and we haven't gone shopping or anything. We could go right now if you…"

I stopped him from getting up and giggled again. "No need to go shopping. Just wear your best suit and I'll make sure to be dressed for the occasion." I then stood up to make my exit. "I should go home now. My parents are gonna want me home."

Chase stood with me. "I could walk you home, if you want."

I grinned at him. "No need. I don't live far from here. I'll see you tomorrow though, don't worry."

I made my exit and began my walk home. The whole way there I thought about Chase being the possible murderer. It was a possibility he was the killer, but when I'd looked into his eyes all I could see was sadness over the loss of the two girls. There had to be something wrong with L's deduction about him. There just had to be.

I remembered the photos again. No stab wounds or open cuts. These girls were strangled to death, but not by the use of hands.

That's when a new suspect came to mind and I was suddenly happy I'd agreed to go to the dance with Chase.

I entered the house and immediately tore off the heels I was wearing. They were sexy as hell but were murder on the feet. I also removed the hat and choker so I could be at least semi normal.

L and Light greeted me at the door.

"And how was your date?" Light sniped.

"Bite me." I growled. "Where's Matt?"

"Upstairs sulking." L said humorously.

That's when Matt's voice came from his bedroom. "I'm not sulking! I'm seething!"

I rolled my eyes. "I'd like to remind you, Matt, that Chase never got a handjob from me! Hell, he's waiting until the day he gets married to fornicate with others! I'm not waiting for that shit!"

His door opened and closed and I soon saw the red head at the top of the stairs making his way down. He had his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

When he'd made it to my side, he glared at me.

"Did you kiss him?"

"No."

"Did he kiss you?"

"No."

"Are you in love with him?"

"Matt." I warned.

He growled. "Fine. But I still hate the fact that you're going to that stupid dance with him."

"Speaking of which, is Misa here?" I asked. "I need her help for a choice of dress."

Light answered. "She's way ahead of you. She's got a few dresses lined up for you and Takada is picking out the makeup choice. Teri will teach you how to dance."

"But before that," L began, "Tell me why you agreed to go."

"Two reasons." I answered. "First, it gives me a chance to get close to Chase and find out more about his relationships with the girls that wound up dead. Second, if he is the killer he'll want to take me out next. That's what I'm counting on. So you and Light might have to be at the dance after all, but not really be there. You get what I mean?"

Light hummed at this. "You think we're going to capture our killer tomorrow. But how do you know?"

"Believe me, the killer will be there whether we know it or not." I said angrily. "So I'll need backup."

Light and L agreed. "We'll get the police involved as well then." The brunette spoke up. "But you'd better be correct."

"Believe me, the killer will be there. And they'll be targeting me. When they do go to kill me, do nothing to stop it. Believe me, I can handle it."

Although L and Light looked more than worried for me, they agreed.

"But when do we get involved?" L asked.

"You'll know when." I said as I moved passed them. "At the moment I need to do some research on someone. If anything, it'll be vital to this case and ending it once and for all."


	30. Chapter 30

_**A/N: Finally! The end of this case! I had debated on letting you all suffer with a cliffhanger, but decided that'd be too mean. But now I'm thinking, since Mello sorta got a trilogy here, Matt and Near should get the same. So, yeah, look out for that in the future! ;)  
**_

_**Once again, thank you all for sticking with me, please review if you can, and as always you guys are awesome!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

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**(Mello P.O.V)**

My heart pounded at the thought of my plan. As we drove to the school all I could think of was the possibility of me dying tonight. Since the beginning I knew this was going to be dangerous, and more than once Light tried to stop me from continuing on. L had been just as worried as the brunette, but knew I was to hard-headed to leave a job unfinished. But tonight was the night this ended. The killer would be caught and everything would return to peace.

Takada stopped the car and I noticed Chase waiting for me by the doors to the school, dressed in a regular black tuxedo. It was dusk now, but the light from the school helped me to see him better. He seemed nervous, from what I could tell.

I took a breath and exited the car.

Misa had had a heyday picking out my dress for the evening. She'd gone with a light blue ball gown, strapless, with white heels. Along with this was my regular tracking device, voice muddling choker, and earpiece. Watari was still keeping a close eye on me, while L and Light were hiding in the shadows. They couldn't act until I'd gotten what I needed though.

And Matt, along with Near, were helping me to get it.

I made my way to the doors, having more than a few jealous girls glare at me, and met up with Chase.

He was damn near speechless. "Wow, you look… WOW!"

I smiled happily at him, gesturing towards the gym where the dance was taking place. "Shall we?"

He offered his arm and once I took it we entered into the dance. It was decorated beautifully with autumn colours and a few yellow balloons. The music was at a steady pace and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

It was then that Mike a Crystal found us.

Crystal hugged me right away. "You actually came, Melina! This is awesome! Me and Mike were just making a bet that you'd ditch Chase here!"

I chuckled rather nervously. "Believe me, I wouldn't miss this."

Chase caught this. "Are you alright, Melina?"

I took a shaky breath, knowing full well this dance was not the cause of my nervousness. "It's just… it's not really my scene here."

The boy seemed a bit saddened by that. "Then, how about we stay for one dance, then us four can just hang out at my place?"

_'One dance? Would that be enough time?'_ I thought as I looked around the room. _'Yes. The killer is here. They're close, and they want me alone. Time to put my plan into action.'_

I nodded. "Actually, after this dance, could we just go to your place alone?"

Mike smiled slyly and started nudging Chase happily.

The boy simply pushed him away. "Stop it, Mike, it's probably because of you more than me."

Crystal then grabbed Mike's arm and pulled him away. "Have fun you two!"

The two of us chuckled a bit before a sudden slow song started to play and the lights went down a bit. Without hesitation, Chase offered me his hand and before I knew it I was being taken to the dance floor.

Teri had taught me how to dance to this type of song, but once we began my mind floated elsewhere. If my plan was going to work, I needed a good reason for the killer to want me dead sooner than later. But finding the opportunity was more difficult than I'd first thought.

Up until Chase spoke up.

"You know, I don't know that I thought I could ever be this happy again."

"Hmm? What do you mean?" I asked once out of my thoughts.

We sidestepped and he smiled happily at me. "After Krista and Emma had broken my heart, I was beginning to think that was all my life had in store for me. And of course Amanda was cheating on me so I didn't get too close to her, but from the moment I saw you…"

_'Oh lord, he isn't really admitting this is he?! Ugh… I did need an opportunity. I guess this will be it.'_

I pulled my character together and the plan began. "What are you… just what do you mean by all that?"

He pulled me into his arms and I was mere inches away from him. I knew exactly what was going to happen, but I had to keep myself in character.

_'Sorry Matt,'_

Chase leaned in and pressed his lips to mine. For him this was probably a dream come true, for me… I was wishing it would be over.

_'And… action!'_

I pushed him away with disgust. "What are you doing?!"

Chase looked more than confused at my reaction. "I… I thought we…"

"You thought I liked you that way? Chase I have someone in England, I told you this before!"

"Melina, we work so well together! And what about all the times you were flirting with me, and at the coffee shop?! You can't tell me you don't feel anything between us."

"I don't, Chase. I never did. I was just being friendly with you, not flirting! We're friends and nothing more." And, with my cue to leave, I turned away from him. "I'm sorry."

With that, I left the gym as quickly as I could. Now, the killer enters the scene.

In all the times I'd had my class A roles in drama class, none of them were this intense. In drama, you had a one hundred percent chance at living, but right now my play gave me less than a thirty percent chance. If I'd angered the killer enough, less than ten.

Belief in my abilities had to be stronger than the percentage now.

I made my way outside the gymnasium where a garden was. I knew full well that L, Light, Watari, Matt, and Near all had their eyes on me. But they weren't allowed to move without my say so.

I was alone.

I was afraid.

I was a sitting duck.

I took a breath and waited. I knew they were here. For some reason I could sense that they were close. From the moment I'd met them I knew there was something wrong with them. Kind as they were, it was too obvious who the murderer was.

The rope tightened around my neck and I began choking immediately. I kicked for a bit but soon calmed down and allowed the killer to bring me in closer to them.

A chin rested on my shoulder. "I'm sorry, Melina."

Male, close to my age, lanky in form.

Mike.

But it wasn't just him in the picture.

A sudden, female voice came into the picture. "What a shame. And I thought you'd make a good daughter-in-law."

Principal Kathers came into view. "Such a pretty little thing, and Chase loved you so much."

I said nothing, keeping calm enough to make sure I could still breathe. I knew Mike was the killer, but he wasn't the mastermind behind the killings.

Kathers chuckled at me then looked at Mike. "Son, please finish the job."

Mike hesitated a bit. "Mother, please reconsider. I know Chase had his heart broken but…"

She slapped him. "Quit being so weak! This is why I sent you to live with your disgusting grandmother! I couldn't bare for people to know you were my son! You were always pathetic, but Chase was perfection!"

Mike loosened his grip a bit on my neck and I was able to speak just a bit.

"You tried to kill the other two girls for Chase." I said to Mike. "Your mother instructed you to do so because Chase was heartbroken. You tried to do it for your brother, but he was mortified by the loss of the two more than the fact he'd been heartbroken by them."

I then looked at Kathers. "But he couldn't actually kill them, could he?"

The woman growled. "Of course not. He's weak! Just like his father! So I did it for him when he wussed out! He's as weak as my father was when I killed him! The bastard cried like a child when I strangled him, but I did it for my mother! Now I must do what's right for my son!"

Mike let me go then and got between us. "But you'd have your other son go to jail for you, is that it!"

The woman scoffed. "Still a pathetic waste of skin. Even after all the chances I give you, you still choose to become the tragic hero?" She slapped as hard as she could and pushed him out of the way. Before I could escape, she had her hands on my throat and squeezing as hard as she could, backing me into a tree.

The choker I wore, the bead that disguised my voice, cracked and shattered. My voice was back to its normal tones. But it looked like I'd never be able to use my voice again.

Right as I was blacking out, there came a voice from the doorway.

"Mother?"

She dropped me instantly and I gasped for air, while tearing off the voice changer. It was useless now anyway.

"Chase? S-sweetheart, go back to the dance, I promise…"

"What's going on here? Why were you choking her!?" He looked at Mike. "What's happening?!"

While the woman tried to reassure her son that everything was alright, I found my voice again and spoke into the earpiece.

"Matt, did you get all that?"

The three looked at me in surprise, but I was only paying attention to the gamer on the other end.

"Yup, we've got our confession. Recorded and looped. You did it Mels!"

I smiled happily. "Bonus: I didn't die in the process!"

Kathers shook with fright. "Who… who are you!? Why is your voice so…so different?!"

I chuckled a bit as I stood up, shaking a bit from the light-headedness. "Allow me to formally introduce myself." I said as I unzipped the dress from behind, seeing no point in wearing it anymore. I was almost glad to not be wearing a bra, because I doubt it would make my reveal more intense.

"My name is Mello. I'm an undercover agent sent by L to find and capture the murderer of the two teenaged girls Krista and Emma." The dress fell to my ankles and I revealed to be wearing tight leather pants with a glock on my left side. "I have to admit, the game was fun when it began. But for the moment, it's nowhere near a game anymore. Samantha Kathers, with your confession that my associates have recorded, I find you guilty of three count involving first degree murder." I turned to Mike. "As for you, I may be able to pull a few strings with L and maybe get you off the hook for sparing my life."

I turned back to Kathers. "I think it's best that you come with me now."

She made a run for the door but Light managed to block it. Good, it meant Watari alerted them my cue to come in and join the party.

It was then that L came up from behind me to block the exit to the street. After he came into the picture sirens could be heard all around us signaling the police were here and ready to take down the killer.

Kathers was trapped, and even though she tried to find an escape, Mike gave up and allowed himself to be cuffed when a few officers entered the garden.

Once the cops cuffed her she looked to her son Chase. "Darling! Tell them this is a mistake! I'm your mother! I LOVE YOU! I DID THIS FOR YOU!"

But the guy just turned his head away from her. "You turned into a monster. You bribed my brother with your love to make him work for you. You killed two innocent girls and your own father! Why should I help you?"

Kathers gawked at him and began to cry as she was taken away by the police. When she was away from us, there seemed to be a sigh of relief among all of us.

Chase finally looked up from the ground to look at me. I suppose his opinion had changed drastically in the twenty minutes he'd seen the _real_ me.

He scratched his head. "So… how'd you find out Mike was my brother?"

"Records and various other papers. It wasn't hard to look up your mom's hospital file. Doctors wrote that she had fraternal twin boys. I guess she must have favoured you more, though."

Chase nodded, trying to keep his eyes on my face. I could see the difficulty he was having though. Could I blame him? He'd just kissed me not half an hour ago. Of course he'd be awkward after seeing that I wasn't a girl.

I sighed. "Look bro, I'm sorry for not telling you anything. It's kinda part of my job, and with you and others being suspects…"

"Do you wanna go grab some coffee?" He asked suddenly.

I blinked. "Uh… you know I'm not female… correct?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah… but… you know… you're still kinda… cute."

I growled a bit at that but grinned anyway. "I'd love to, but Matt would quite possibly murder the two of us in our sleep."

At his questioning look I tossed him the earpiece but he only held it to his ear for a second before pulling it away immediately.

He laughed a bit. "Wow, that guy has a mouth on him!"

I shrugged. "I still love him. Maybe on the off chance we break up I'll look for you. No promises though."

He tossed to piece back then winked. "I'll be waiting at the coffee shop for you." He then exited the scene and went back into the gym.

I smiled to myself, not even thinking about Matt or his anger at the moment. Knowing I could still hold some affect to a guy as handsome as Chase, gave me a bit more confidence in my looks. Teri had been completely correct about me. If I accepted my looks and the charm of having a feminine figure, my confidence would make me more… likable, in a sense.

L chuckled beside me. "Good job, Mello. You caught the killer, and you managed to make a straight guy like you. How do you feel about all that?"

I scoffed. "I feel like I wanna go home. I miss my old life of being a male, and having Matt in my arms."

Light strode up to me and hugged me close then. "We'll leave as soon as possible. But I hope you realize that L and I aren't letting you on another case for a long…"

"LONG," the detective said angrily.

"…time." Light finished.

I sighed happily. "Thank god!"


	31. Chapter 31

_**A/N: Sorry guys, but this is the only chapter for today. I'm incredibly tired for some reason and could barely stay awake while writing this. If I don't post anything by tomorrow afternoon, assume that I'm not gonna post anything at all.  
**_

_**Anyways, enjoy the chapter. Sorry if it's a bit sucky though... again, I'm incredibly tired. **_

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**(Light P.O.V)**

For the first time in a week I was able to breathe normally again. I'd been worried for Mello the moment he agreed to be L's puppet – of sorts – and more than once I'd fought with the detective for allowing a fifteen year old boy to get involved with a dangerous case like this. Not only that, but when Mello was almost killed the other week I'd completely stopped speaking to the detective all around. Not to mention I stopped being intimate with him in every way. No hugs, to hand holding, no sex. I think I got my point across though.

Despite having been worried for him, I was proud of Mello. He was brave and cunning through it all, and made more of an impact than he'd like to believe. Especially among the male populace of that school. Although Chase no longer was in contact with him, it didn't stop some of the other males from trying their luck. To be honest with myself, I was quite shocked. I would have thought they'd stop trying with him once they all found out who 'Melina' really was. Then again, with his newfound confidence, I could see why some would still go after him.

Since his mission, Mello kept his head higher, walked with more promise, and had more appreciation for his looks. I'd have to thank the girls at some point for helping the blonde realize his potential. Although, I don't know about the new favouritism around leather. Maybe it helped him build just a bit of confidence, but he wasn't exactly huggable anymore.

Oh well, I still had Near.

L was out at the moment and we had just finished packing our things for the ride home. It had been another week since the arrest – since L had to stay and make sure the ex-principal of the school was getting the correct sentence – and Mello was more than ready to be gone from this place.

"For a secret hideout," he complained, slouched in his seat on the sofa, "it's not very secret."

I chuckled to myself. "Don't look at me. It's not my fault a few boys followed you home when you were a girl."

The blonde growled. "Yeah, well I'm not a female anymore, so why are they still trying their luck?!"

I tried to bite down the sarcasm, but it just poured out. "I don't know, but I doubt it has anything to do with the tight leather."

Mello scoffed. "Jealous that you can't pull it off as good as I can?"

I laughed. "Good luck 'pulling off' the leather when you go to bed."

The blonde merely shrugged. "I'll manage."

After I rolled my eyes at him, there came a knock at the door but Matt answered it before I could. Not two minutes later there was a slam and a loud growl from the red head.

A few minutes passed and the gamer joined us in the living room. "Some guy came over for you, 'Melina'." He seethed out, making the blonde sneer at the jealous teen. "He brought you a rose, and asked for a date."

"Well the date is a no, but where's the flower?"

Matt didn't answer. He simply took out his lighter and sparked up a flame.

Mello giggled. "Can't you leave any of my gifts alone?"

He then dug into his pocket and brought out a chocolate bar. "He also left you this, so I saved it for you."

The blonde held out his hand for it. "Love you!"

I laughed to myself at the amount of change Mello had gone through in his time at school. He was happier, more confident, and more loving to Matt. I was beginning to believe he'd been brainwashed into believing he was an actual female, but I wouldn't have said it out loud to him. As loving as the blonde was now, I'm betting he was just as 'Mello' as ever.

Matt handed him the bar and sat beside him. "You know, I'm beginning to believe you're loving the attention those guys are giving you."

The blonde saw the opportunity and seized it. "But they're so nice, Mattie! They give me presents and chocolate! Why should I be mean to them?"

The gamer's eyes slit a bit into a glare. "Good luck receiving that attention when we get back to Wammys."

Mello shrugged as he took a bite out of his bar. "I can them my bitches in no time." When Matt slouched in a bit of anger for this, Mello kissed his cheek. "But you'd be my favourite bitch, Matt."

The gamer smiled but still pushed the blonde away playfully. "I catch one hand that isn't mine on you and they're a dead man."

"Oh relax, I have no need for any of those guys out there or at Wammys. As long as I have you, I'm happy."

Matt finally laughed. "Yeah, unlike L and Light at the moment."

I took it as a cue to step in. "L put you in mortal danger, Mello. I'm not going to forgive him easily."

"Ooh, shall a fight ensue?" Matt asked, just a bit too excited.

I grumbled. "Not a fight, but someone's going to get hurt if he tries anything."

The red head chuckled. "L's gonna have to do a lot of butt-kissing to get you to love him again."

I turned to him. "Now don't say that, Matt. I love L with all my heart and I always will." I paused for a second. "But you remember those nature shows about the bald eagles and such."

He nodded and I continued.

"And do you remember what the mommy eagle did to the predator that messed with her baby?"

Again he nodded and I continued.

"Right, so, as your mother _and_ father figure, if anyone messes with my children… I'll slit their fucking eyes out and feed it to them myself."

When the two teens were silenced I could just feel their fear emanating from them. I think I made my point across.

I sat down in a chair and exhaled a bit of frustration. "Mello, I'm deeply proud of you for what you've done. But the fact remains that you're still a kid. You're only fifteen right now and you should enjoy it while you can. L isn't picking his successor for a long time yet, and even if he had already chosen you wouldn't be told who would succeed him until he was on his death bed. And, let's face it, he won't be dead for a while."

Matt chuckled. "The way you say that makes me think you want him dead."

"Some days, Matt. Some days." I replied tiredly, then forced a smile. "But I'd still cry if he kicked the bucket. Just… you know… he'd probably deserved it."

"Let's get onto a lighter topic here." Matt suggested, then turned to Mello. "I don't suppose you could tell us how you knew that Mike guy was involved with this? I mean, I know everyone's a suspect, but Kathers seemed pretty legit in the beginning."

I sat up a bit straighter then. "Yes, Mello, do tell us how you knew Mike was involved in these crimes."

The blonde grinned a bit. "How could you not figure it out? Maybe Mike wasn't the actual killer, but he still followed his mother's orders to make him look as guilty as one. For example, from the moment Chase first spoke with me, Mike was right there to asses my relations to him. Before me, he was keeping a close eye on Amanda. Of course, Amanda cheated on Chase so it was likely she would have been the next victim. But Chase wasn't upset over her, so Mike was instructed to leave her alone and keep his eyes on me. That's why he always wanted to hang out with me during the week. The 'killer' wanted to be as close as possible to me. However, this wasn't enough to really make Mike a suspect. It wasn't until I'd gone to Kathers office with Chase that I really started to suspect him."

"Why Mike and not her?" The gamer asked.

"I still suspected her. It's like you said, everyone's a suspect. But I couldn't judge Kathers because I hadn't gotten close to her. Why? Because Mike was doing her work for her. She was getting close to me without me getting close to her. In a sense, it was a brilliant plan… until Chase brought me to her."

"Let me guess," Matt started. "The rope gave it away? Not very subtle."

"Nope, not the rope." Mello said proudly. "Actually, that rope couldn't have choked anyone. It was too flimsy and frail. It would have snapped if being tried to be used as a choking device. No, it was when she said I'd done well at the dodge-ball game. The dodge-ball game she had no notion of knowing because she wasn't there. But you know who was? Mike. He was right there with Chase watching my every move because he'd been instructed to by his mother.

"However, I had no proof that Mike was her son or even her partner. That's why I needed the confession. And that's why I told you all too keep away from me until I gave the signal, or I was dead. Maybe it was an extremity for a ten percent chance that I was right, but I couldn't ignore the feeling in my gut."

"But didn't you look up Kathers files to help you find out about her second son?" I asked.

"Yes, and it confirmed that she indeed had two sons named Chase and Michael, but there was still no proof connecting her to the murders. Not until I came across a file of her father, a man she'd hated enough because of his gambling debts and over usage of money, sending her and her mother into poverty. So what happened to him? He 'commits suicide' and is found hanging in the bathroom. After I looked at the pictures after his death, I noticed two completely different rope imprints on his neck. Not only that, but the angles were different for each print.

"Maybe my hunch was barely ten percent, but none of this sounded right to begin with. I had to take a chance and go with my gut."

I hummed a bit at this. "You realize, though, that if your hunch had been incorrect you would have wound up dead at that dance. You said it yourself that no matter what, whether you knew it or not, the killer was there that night."

He nodded. "But the killer had no idea concerning my earpiece that was recording and filming the killer. No matter what would have happened to me, you all would have had them on tape."

"How could you be so sure?"

"Well, the first thing he'd do after choking me is make sure I'm not breathing and that I didn't have a pulse. For that he'd have to check my face and listen for breathing, which can't be done with a mask, and then search for a pulse which is easier found on the neck than anywhere else. He'd be on camera no matter what he did, not to mention the cameras L set up around the school.

"I'm sorry, Light, if I caused you to worry about me so much. But in my heart, I knew I had to do this. Even if it may have cost me my life."

I sighed heavily. "Mello, I should tell you the truth. I almost blew my cover and tried to get to you. L wasn't too far behind."

"What? You can't be serious, you could have blown the mission…!"

"I'd sooner lose a mission than lose you! And for your information, Matt was the one screaming at us to go get you!"

The blonde jolt up at this and glared at the gamer. Before he could say anything though…

"Yes, Mello, I could have compromised the mission, I don't need you yelling at me. But I did it to save someone I loved. I don't care if we would have been able to catch her, I'd rather have you safe and sound than have a better reputation for L."

"And L, might I add, was just about ready to kill that woman himself. Had Chase not entered when he had, we all would have been upon that bitch in seconds."

The blonde looked between the two of us before slinking back into his seat. I think I could actually see his eyes watering up a bit.

I got up from the chair I sat in and went to his side. "Mello, it's not that we didn't trust your abilities or your plan. It's just… none of us could have lived with ourselves if something happened to you."

Before I could say anything more, the blonde hugged me tight and I almost fell back from the suddenness of it. When I'd gotten my bearings, I could hear him crying on my shoulder.

I sighed once more and I pulled the boy into my lap to hug him back. "We love you so much, Mello. I'm sorry if we made you feel..."

He shook his head. "It's not that." He squeaked out a bit. "I'm just so happy to have you guys for a family."

I smiled happily at this and hugged him just a bit tighter.

Matt, however, groaned audibly. "Jesus, he's PMS-ing now! Quick, someone get some testosterone in his system before he loses his dick!"

The blonde didn't stop hugging me, but pulled an arm back and dragged Matt onto the floor with a rough tug.

"Shut up, Matt." He mumbled through my shoulder, not wanting to leave the hug.

I kept a hold of Mello for as long as he needed me. I loved my boys so much it hurt some days. And knowing that – even in their teens – that they still needed me, made me feel warm inside. I'd always love my boys, no matter what.

And knowing they loved me just as much made me feel twice as warm inside.

**(L P.O.V)**

I couldn't believe what I was hearing from them. It just didn't sound right to me. How could something like this have happened?

Watari was just as shocked as I was, and on the way home he was incredibly quiet.

But I couldn't keep my thoughts from overflowing.

I looked at him through the corner of my eye. "We have to find him immediately."

Watari nodded. "Yes, L. I promise you that we will. We can't have him at large like this. Who knows what havoc he'll wreak."

I clenched my teeth angrily. "And the orphanage?"

"We'll tell them. But I doubt he'll go there at all. I'd go as far to say that he wants you personally."

"Then it's me he'll get. I won't have Light or the boys become part of this, but I'll warn them when we get home."

I felt my heart give a small quake of fear for my family. I'd gone out to check on him while he was in the asylum only to find out that he'd escaped a few days prior. No one could have predicted the lengths he went through to escape either. The deaths, the fights… all to come get me.

But I'd be ready for him.

I'd be ready for B.


	32. Chapter 32

_**A/N: I finally got a good rest and as able to type out a short chapter. However, this will be the beginning of Near's trilogy in this fic, so be prepared.  
**_

_**Again, sorry for the sucky-ness of the chapter. Gonna try and get some sleep so the next few won't suck so badly.**_

_**As always, enjoy!**_

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**(Near P.O.V)**

The news concerning B was scary in itself, but L had assured everyone at Wammys that we'd all be safe. It took a few days, but the fear had finally died down to mere murmurs and small assumptions. The more popular assumptions were that B was coming after L's newest successors, Mello, Matt, and myself. I think the others at Wammys were just trying to scare us though.

It worked.

But, for the moment, we tried to remain calm. L would find him before he got to us and we wouldn't have to worry about him ever again. At least I hoped.

Matt had tried to humour us away from the fear, but it was no use. Mello and I were scared, I think the blonde more than I, and for good reason. We all knew why B wasn't here, and that's because L couldn't touch him. B was one of L's first successors, and when it came down to it he couldn't bring himself to end the man. How could he? B was his family as much as we were. But, if we were in trouble, would he be able to end B?

We sat in our room in pure fright. None of us wanted to say it, but it had to be said.

I took a breath. "He's after us. I just know it."

The blonde sighed, staring up at the ceiling from his bed. "Maybe. I can see why he would want us out of the picture too."

"Because we're the new successors." Matt finished. "Something he and A were in the beginning."

The blonde looked over at the gamer. "Maybe we should do something."

I jolted at that. "You want to take on B? Mello, you're crazy! That guy… he's just like L! More than I am! I may have the same mindset as L, but B was almost an exact replica! The only difference? B doesn't have an off switch. He's insane, more than Peter ever was with you!"

The blonde said nothing. He simply sat up in his bed and crawled over to the end of his bed to search through the trunk he kept at the foot. From it he grabbed his domino set that L had given him. He hadn't used them in a while, but why bring them out now?

He started stacking them again, but with more finesse than before. He was actually making fast headway with them, not to mention they didn't fall over. Could he have learned balance already? No… not likely.

He tossed a domino to me and I caught it. "Near, you and I are L's closest successors. Matt is a third because he has just as good grades as me, but doesn't desire to be L himself. B will be after us, if anything so he can get to L. He wants revenge, and he'll do anything to achieve this. So we have to stop him."

Matt shook his head. "No way, Mels! You just promised L and Light you wouldn't get involved with anymore cases! Not for a long time yet!"

"This isn't a case, Matt." He growled out. "This is catching a madman. And if we don't do so soon, then we'll either end up dead or kidnapped again."

I hopped down from my bunk bed. "I'm not getting involved with this, Mello. B is smarter than any of us…!"

"Alone, maybe. But we all bring something together that he can't tear down." He held up one of the dominoes. "Balance."

At my questioning look he explained.

"Alone, B can take us down one by one until he's satisfied with knowing he's taken something away from L like the way he believes L took something from him. A killed himself and B blamed L for his death. After that, B wasn't balanced anymore. He only has one motive right now, and that's revenge. Which means we're sitting ducks if we don't do something."

"But L…"

"L is useless right now." The blonde interrupted. "B knows him too well, he can out maneuver him no problem. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if B was already here. But he doesn't know _us_ and what _we're_ capable of." He began stacking the dominoes again as he spoke. "L told me that when the successor program first began it was because it was Watari's dream to find an exact replica of L. A and B were the exact replica's. But once it was restarted again after I came here, it wasn't about finding an exact copy anymore. It was just a program to find the next L once the current one was gone." He looked back at me. "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

I did. It was simple.

"B can't out maneuver us because we aren't perfect replicas of L. We have a different way of thinking from him in some odd way or another."

"Exactly. L's efforts are in vain right now, because B knows him too well. L can get close to B, maybe, but he can't catch him. But I think we can!"

"No," Matt demanded, "it's out of the question! B could kill us if we went against him, and you've almost died once this month, blondie!"

Mello grabbed his hand and pulled him closer to us. It made his stacked dominoes fall but he hadn't cared.

"Matt, partner with me and I guarantee you that I won't die. None of us will. I'm confident we can put an end to B if you follow my every instruction."

He looked at me. "You in, Near?"

Seeing the look in his eyes, the confidence he had in this mission on taking down B, I couldn't help but smile at this.

"I'm in. But only if you can say one hundred percent that we'll get out of this alive."

He patted my shoulder. "One hundred percent."

I then looked to Matt. "You in?"

The gamer pinched his brow. "You guys are absolutely insane to be even thinking this!"

We waited for a solid two minutes before he threw his hands up in defeat.

"I'm in."

"Good," the blonde said happily, "not a word of this to L and Light either. They'd just get pissed and lock us in our room until it was all over."

"I'm not waiting that long." Matt commented. "So what's the plan, blondie?"

Mello huddled us in a bit. "You two have special jobs concerning this and I'll need them completed to satisfactory levels. Near, your job is important because it'll help drive B out of hiding."

"I'm not gonna be used as bait am I?" I asked nervously.

"Yes and no. Believe me, you'll be fine. All you have to do is stick close to L for a while…"

He rattled off what we were to do then, and even Matt was beginning to feel confident in his plan. After all was said and done, we went off to complete our tasks.

For the first time hearing the news about B, I smiled happily.

We could do this no problem!


	33. Chapter 33

_**A/N: We're coming to an end to this story guys... well...close enough at least. A few more chapters to go still.  
**_

_**As always thank you for the support and Enjoy!**_

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**(Near P.O.V)**

Things were going perfectly, just as Mello had planned it. Although we knew the repercussions from Light would be harsh for getting involved with B and trying to nab him, I knew what Mello was doing was correct. The only thing he hadn't told us was the final part in finally catching B. But, I suppose that would come later.

The past week I'd done nothing but stay by L's side whenever I could. If B was watching the Wammy house, which was a strong possibility, he needed to be aware who L's current number one was. Which had been me. Mello assured me that B was too prideful to make any move on the Wammy house, but when I'd shown fear he'd looked out for me as best as he could from a distance. He even stayed awake at night to make sure nothing happened.

Matt had done his job and used his technical know-how to intercept all of L's emails before they were sent to him. Mello was too sure that B wanted a meeting with L and would try to get a hold of him somehow. This included emails, phone calls, letters, and whatever else there was to be used for communication. Matt intercepted every email and phone call, while Mello got to the letters. So far, there was nothing really.

Not until today.

The day was just ending when the blonde ran in and closed the door immediately. He ran to Matt's side and handed him a sheet of paper. On it were roman numerals in some kind of coded order.

"What is this, Mels?" He asked.

"I found it in L's room in one of his frames. It wasn't there yesterday or this morning. It was in the frame he had of his first year at Wammy's as L the detective. In the picture was everyone from the Wammy house, including A and B."

"So, you think it's from _him._" Matt said nervously.

We were all silent at the thought B had been here not even that long ago. How much more did he know from just being here?

Mello nodded. "Yes, I know it's from him. I feel it in my gut. But I haven't cracked what it says yet."

I took the page from them to get a better look. "Roman numerals. But not difficult to decipher them. But they're in such a weird order. For instance, it says 'ii ii'. Could he be trying to say 'four'?"

"Well," Matt began, "I believe 'ii' is two, and 'iv' is four. And if he wanted to say 'twenty-two' he would have written 'xxii'. Someone as smart as B would never make that mistake. So I think he's saying 'two-two'."

"Two-two? Why such an odd combo?" I muttered to myself, looking at the next set of numerals. "The next ones are 'i' and 'xii'."

"One and twelve?" Mello asked. "That can't be right, what is he trying to say?"

As I looked at the rest of the numerals I managed to notice that none of them went past the numeral for twenty-six.

"There are twenty-six letters in the alphabet, right?"

"Kindergarten stuff, Near." Mello sniped.

"No, what I mean is, we should convert the numbers from the numerals into letters. So, two-two is a literal two, it would be BB."

"BB?" Matt commented. "A typo to 'Backup'?"

"Or a new name." Mello guessed to himself. "So then 'i' is 'A', and 'Xii' is… 'L'."

I felt my stomach squirm a bit. "There's more. Under 'A' he put 'XiV-XViii'… 'NR', and under 'BB' he put 'Xiii-Xi'… 'MK'. I couldn't tell you the meaning of them though."

Mello shuddered a bit. "He comparing us."

Matt blinked. "What do you mean?"

The blonde looked positively sick now. "I don't know how, but he knows our real names, Near. My original initials were 'MK', and I'm guessing yours were once 'NR'. He put your initials under A to signify you as being the first successor, and me under BB as being the second."

"By why not put Matt in there? He's a successor to L too." I asked, just horrified that B could know this much about us.

"Matt isn't technically considered for L's successor because he's expressed more than once that he doesn't care if he is or isn't chosen." He took a slight pause to breathe. "Is there anything more?"

I rattled off the rest of the numerals to him and we all decoded it together. By the end of our little two hour investigation on the note, we'd found out what he was trying to convey to L. It had been a struggle and many do overs, but we got what we'd been waiting for.

Mello sighed. "So he wants to meet L at the abandoned barn tomorrow morning, right at sunrise."

"Why so soon?" A tired Matt yawned out.

Mello looked at his calendar. "Do you know what tomorrow is?"

We shook our heads.

The blonde bit into the chocolate bar he'd started an hour ago. "Tomorrow is the anniversary of A's death."

"What? How would you know that?" The gamer beside me asked.

Mello hummed. "L never kept it a secret from me who A and B were. In fact, before Light came along, he would tell me stories about them. Every year on the day A had died, L would go to his grave and apologize for not being a better mentor for him. I went with him once… but it wasn't a good sight to behold. After Light came around, L eventually stopped going. I think he wanted peace for himself, but I could be wrong. I haven't really asked him."

"But why the abandoned barn?" I asked. "Why so open?"

Mello went dead silent. The look on his face, cold and calculating but just a hint of fear, made the room drop a few degrees. There was definitely something he wasn't telling us.

Finally…

"That's where A hung himself."

It was silent in our room once again. So silent I swore I could hear our heartbeats mingle in with the air. B wanted to meet L where his best friend had killed himself. Would he take his revenge there then? Would L even go? It would depend on whether or not Mello told him or not, but the thought of L…

No. I wouldn't think about it. I wouldn't allow that kind of thought cross my mind. Not if it involved someone I loved.

"So, what do we do then?" Matt asked quietly. "You know where B is going to pop up now, Mels. Do we tell L or…?"

"No. We say nothing about this to L. You two are done here now, so no need to worry any further."

"What about you?" Matt started up. When he saw the look in Mello's eyes, he knew right away what the blonde was planning to do. "No way Mels! Don't even dare to think it!"

Mello looked up at me. "Near, make sure you and Matt stay put. If anything happens to either of you I'll never be able to live with myself. Got it?"

"But..."

"Promise me, Near!"

I nodded slowly, feeling my heart quake a bit.

The blonde said nothing further to me as he got up from his spot on the floor and crawled into his bed. "Goodnight, Matt."

"No! Don't you fucking dare ignore me!" He exclaimed, jumping onto Mello's bed and forcing the blonde to face him. "Look me in the eye and promise me you won't go see than maniac tomorrow! PROMISE ME!" He demanded, tearing up in the process.

Mello merely leaned up a bit and kissed Matt's cheek, whispered, "Goodnight, Matt." Then rolled over. Ignoring the red heads tears.

Matt didn't even go to his own bed that night. He stayed beside Mello and held him tight. I suppose he thought that if he held on tight enough that Mello would have no choice but to stay. But it was useless. We both knew how stubborn and prideful the blonde was. However much danger he was in, he hadn't cared. It wasn't even that he thought he was better than us, or that he needed to do this to prove himself. No, he just didn't want to watch others get hurt.

So more times than not… he offered himself up for pain.

And I loved that about him.

I lay awake that night, deciding on what to do. B would be waiting for L tomorrow, and if Mello went instead… there was a good chance that he wouldn't make it out alive. We all knew what B was capable of. We'd heard how he'd escaped from the asylum, how much he was like L. I sometimes wondered what he was like before he'd snapped, but I didn't think I'd ever get to know that much about him. The only ones who really knew B as a child were L and Watari, and I doubt they'd want to speak of him in a positive way.

I finally saw the sun begin to rise and my heart began beating a thousand times a minute. Mello would wake up soon and prepare for his meeting with B. To get to the barn would take about a half hour on foot.

Mello… he'd given up so much when he was a kid. His innocence, his life, his family, his mind… why should he have to give up his life for us?

I got out of bed right away and silently made my way down my bunk bed, not caring to put on anything other than my pajamas. I grabbed my robot from the desk and hugged it close to me for comfort. I didn't know what I was going to do when I got there, but I'd be damned if I let Mello lose his life for us. Maybe I was scared of what may happen… but I couldn't let this happen to Mello.

As I opened the window and began to climb out, I looked back at the blonde and smiled.

"I know you'll make a great L, Mello."

And with that, I was off.


	34. Chapter 34

_**A/N: A few more chapters to go and then a sequel to this one! It should be finished by today, maybe early tomorrow.  
**_

_**Once again, thank you all to my lovely supporters, and enjoy the chapter!**_

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**(Near P.O.V)**

The sun was halfway up when I'd stepped through the broken boards and into the barn, clutching my robot in my arms. No one aside from L and Watari had really ever met B, but up until now I hadn't wanted to. L would tell us that B was not right in the head and that meeting him, and looking into his eyes, was like looking at a monster. A monster you couldn't prove was one, but there was something off that would help you to believe he was one. L had never wanted us to meet B in person… but I guess that didn't matter right now.

The barn was cold, smelly, and was covered every which way and that with hay. Sunlight shone through the cracks and open boards from the side. No sound but a fan from the loft could heard. The blades slowly turning, counting the seconds. I feared the silence more than anything because it made me believe that I was all alone…

…and I wasn't. Not by a long shot.

I stepped into the larger part of the barn and hugged my robot tighter, praying that Mello was wrong and that B wanted nothing to do with L and was miles away in another country.

No dice.

"So they sent the child here?" A semi-deep voice rang out from the silence, making me jump. "Or have you come on your own? Maybe… well that does seem more likely. That little blonde kid has been tampering with L's emails and getting to his letters. Perhaps he was expecting something to happen. But still, I wouldn't have thought you'd all be smart enough to decode my message."

I looked around to try and find the voice but there was nothing to be seen anywhere. I was beginning to believe that it was all in my head.

He chuckled a bit, leaving a shiver down my spine. "Don't look so afraid, Near. Or, should I say, Nate."

My eyes widened. _'He does know our names. How?!'_

I heard shuffling from the entrance and I looked behind me to try and find him. All I could see was a shadow leaning on a post to the barn.

When I couldn't find my voice he laughed again. "Nate River. What an odd name. Usually 'Nate' is short for 'Nathan' or 'Nathanial'. But you're just… Nate? Your parents didn't seem to care too much when naming you, did they? Is that why you go by 'Near'? All the letters fit your original name, so I would think that was your motive. Even Matt was so unoriginal, anyone could be a 'Matt'. Well, at least Mello was semi-original in choosing his name." He scoffed. "Unlike 'Backup'. How much more can you put a lens on that? I was L's Backup and nothing more."

I swallowed a bit of my fear, shaking nervously, and forced the words past my lips. "So you renamed yourself. You're no longer Backup, but BB. So what does the 'BB' stand for?"

He exhaled a laugh before pushing off the post and stepping into the light. "My new name, is Beyond Birthday."

The one thing I noticed about B… about Beyond…. on the first glance were his eyes. Dark, cold, unfeeling, and staring at something I couldn't comprehend. His smile… it was unnatural. Like a Cheshire cat but more creepy. I took notice of the way he looked all around and saw so many similarities to L it was uncanny. Dark hair, hunched form, lanky body. Beyond really was meant to be a replica of L.

A Backup.

He smile toned down a bit and he took a step forward. "Let me guess, L told you and the other kiddies at Wammy's that I was a monster. Built up to become his successor, but lived the life of a madman. Well, he's not entirely wrong." He stopped his steps when he was fully in the light. "I was a monster at Wammy's. But, in truth, we're all monsters, Nate. Some of us are more extreme than others, like me for instance, but L is the worst type of monster." His face contorted to anger then as he stared off into space. "Yes. He is… the worst."

I ignored the feeling in my stomach and spoke. "What do you mean by 'monster'?"

He looked down at me again and smiled eerily. "Nate, I may have tried to kill L at one point, and I have killed other things in the past. Death is a beautiful thing, you know. It's like… dessert. It's the finale course in the dinner of life.

"But L… L was… is… a liar. And liars are the worst monsters you could ever believe to imagine. They eat when they don't feel hunger, they make friends even though they have no concept of friendship, and they pretend to love when they don't know what love is. They do this because it's easier to lie than it is to find true happiness." He looked away from me then. "And I had that happiness. And within moments it was taken away from me right here in this barn."

He turned to the side and began pacing. "A… Adrian. He was everything to me. The one and only friend I had in the orphanage. The only friend I had in life. Not even my own mother wanted me. The whore just left me to die in the streets, cared for by prostitutes until my eighth birthday when I was sent to Wammy's to become that bastard's backup!" He yelled, seething a bit afterwards. "But A… A would always make me feel better. He would tell me everything would be alright. That we'd find happiness at Wammy's. Had I know how much he was truly suffering at that school I would have taken him away and we could have been happy on our own."

He stopped pacing then. "But I wasn't fast enough." He looked up at the ceiling. "By the time I'd gotten here, he was gone. My one shred of happiness was taken from me." His eyes narrowed. "All because L had lied to us. Had told us he loved us, made us believe we were part of a family. But he didn't give a shit about us!" He turned to me. "He didn't love us! He barely wanted us! All he wants is his reputation! All he wants is to be known as the greatest detective to ever live!"

His eye began to twitch now and I backed away a bit. Feeling more than frightened by this man. How much he'd loved A, how much hate he had for L… I knew he'd snap at any moment now. And I was prepared to take the blow.

He clenched his hand into a fist. "After all these years… and I come back to you and the other two. Happy, living a care-free life. No pressure to become the next L. And of course L finally learns to love someone. That little toy, Light Yagami, is his muse and inspiration. And now he's forgotten me. Forgotten us. The two original successors to the L name, and he forgets us."

He strode over to his previous place where the post was and grabbed something from the shadows. "I wonder," I heard a clicking of metal and my heart nearly stopped, "how long will it take for him to forget you?"

I shut my eyes as he spun around and the gun fired. Within seconds of the shot I was on the ground, drenched in blood. But there was no pain. No pain other than the pain of hitting the ground.

I opened my eyes to see that it wasn't my blood I was drenched in.

He hugged me close to him making sure I was as safe as I could possibly be. "Mello?"

He didn't speak. He was in too much pain to speak. But he tightened his hug in response.

Beyond laughed at him. "Well, now the gang's all here! The second A, the original Backup, and the second Backup! I will say though, recreating A's death with Near isn't quite going as expected."

Mello finally pushed himself off the ground holding his side to stop the blood. "Is that what you wanted? To recreate A's death?"

"Of course!" Beyond announced happily. "Why else would I leave that note for you to solve!?"

"So you didn't want to kill L at all." Mello said through clenched teeth. "You wanted Near all along."

"Mello, you're a smart kid." Beyond complimented as he pointed the gun at the blonde. "But there's a reason I was chosen to be L's backup."

The gun fired again but Mello pushed me out of the way and into the shadows. He followed me into the back of the barn and we hid behind broken planks. The gun fired four more times and was soon discarded.

"Fine by me, boys!" He exclaimed, grabbing an axe from nearby. "I like the thought of hacking you to pieces more than shooting you both in the head anyways!"

I whimpered a bit and got in closer to Mello. "What do we do?" I whispered.

He hugged me as close as he could, still trying to stop the bleeding somehow. "Matt is getting L and Light right now. They'll come get us right away. All we have to do is stay hidden and not do anything stupid."

The axe came down on the boards and I couldn't help the shriek the escaped my lips. Before Beyond could get to us Mello grabbed my hand and dragged me to a hay pile. Lucky for us, he hadn't seen us escape to the pile and we had just a bit of time to think of ways to escape.

Beyond laughed. "Mello, I had no idea you were such a coward! You seemed so focussed on taking me in yourself, on proving to L you could be a great successor! How do you think he's going to feel when he sees you running away from me, when even _he_ had the balls to face me?! Do you think he'll be so proud of you after this!?"

The blonde ignored him though and instead focussed on an escape for us.

"Near, we need to climb up to the loft." He whispered. "From there we can make an escape out the fan opening."

"What's the matter, Mello!?" Beyond started again. "Are you really not gonna fight me?! You truly are pathetic! How on earth did you manage to become second at Wammys!?"

I hugged the blonde closely. "We can't make it to the ladder. And even if we could it'll break the moment we try to climb it. We're trapped." I began crying. "He's going to kill us."

Mello hugged me back. When a few moments went by he pulled me away and looked me in the eye.

"Near, I know what I did was selfish and I put both you and Matt at risk by asking you to help me. But I'm going to try and make this right." He then dug through the hay and shoved me into the pile, covering me with the hay. "Stay here and don't make a sound. When I've led him away, make your escape."

I shook my head and began to cry. "Please don't do this. We can escape together, we just…"

"Don't be dumb, Near." He said as he covered up my hair. "I can't make a run for it when I'm bleeding this much. I wanted to go out a tragic hero, but instead I put you in danger." He kissed my head. "I'm sorry, brother. I hope you can forgive me."

He covered me face then and ran out to distract Beyond.

I could hear their exchange from behind me.

"Aww, Mello, hiding your little brother are we?"

"No. He's long gone now. It's just me."

"Don't give me that malarkey, I know he's still here. So you'd best tell me right now where he is so I can finish what has been started."

I could feel Mello's anger rising. "I'd sooner die than allow you to lay one finger on my brother!"

Beyond chuckled. "Well now, that can be arranged."

Before I knew it, I saw Mello backing away from Beyond swinging his axe. The blonde dodged the swings as best as he could, but had finally gotten nicked on the arm and fell back into a wall. He was losing too much blood. He wasn't going to make it.

I saw my window of opportunity and, with great reluctance, I ran to my escape. Beyond noticed I was running but didn't have time to stop me from breaking through the walls of the barn. I was a free bird… and Mello was a sitting duck.

I heard Beyond scream in pure rage and I waited for the inevitable sound of the axe falling onto Mello, but it didn't have a chance to come.

A gunshot and another cry from Beyond, then a familiar voice echoing from the barn. Could it have been…?

I looked in from the cracks to the wall of the barn and saw L holding a gun to Beyond, and the man who was about to kill Mello holding his arm in pure agony. Beyond's hand was covered in blood from the gunshot wound to the arm. He was no longer able to hold the axe and had therefor dropped it. Mello was safe.

Beyond glared at the detective, then grinned menacingly. "Long time no see, mentor."

L growled. "Not long enough."

Beyond chuckled then. "Well? Aren't you going to kill me now?"

"And stoop to your level? No. I'll just let you rot in a maximum high security prison for the rest of your life."

Beyond laughed at him. "You were always soft, L. That's why I bested you in this game…"

"No, you didn't. You're forgetting I have the trust of three incredible young genius'. If ever something went wrong, they know I'm the one to go to. Like now for instance.

"You may have bested Mello, but you will never be better than me. Any of my boys are worthy to take on my name, but you were nothing more than a plan B… a Backup. But I have to know this much. How was it that you knew Near would take Mello's place in his little plan?"

Beyond grinned at him. "Because that kid is more like you than even me. Once he finds happiness, he'll do anything to keep it from being torn from him."

Sirens began blaring and more than a few cop cars surrounded the barn. One of the police officers had found me and dragged me away from the scene. From my spot behind the cruiser, however, I could see four men dragging Beyond out and locking him in another car. L, under the guise of an undercover cop, had told them what had happened. Or, at least the story he had to make in order to save face of being L.

Once Mello was brought out I ran to his side immediately. He would be given stitches on the spot with the paramedics that had arrived, and then maybe seen to a hospital.

No more than a few minutes passed before Light had arrived and ran to our sides. But as much as he was relieved, he was a tenfold time angrier.

"What in god's name were you two thinking!?" He yelled, L allowing him to. I think the detective was just as angry, but knew Light would do the yelling justice.

He looked at Mello, who was sitting up at this point. "You made a plan to go after B! You actually thought you'd take him on?! What is wrong with you!? And getting Matt and Near involved?! ARE YOU THIS STUPID, MELLO!?"

He turned to me. "And Near! How could you… I… I can't even believe that you'd go after that maniac on your own! You're just as unbelievably stupid as Mello right now!"

"Leave him alone." Mello defended weakly. "He had no part in this. Everything was my idea, I should get the blame for it all. Near only took my place because he didn't want me to go and give up my life for you guys. From the moment I knew what he was doing I had to find and protect him. That's why I told Matt to go find you two and get you down to the barn as soon as possible. It wasn't about my reputation anymore, or finding Beyond and eliminating him." A tear fell down his cheek. "It was about saving my little brother." He tried to wipe the tears away but they kept on flowing. "I almost lost someone I loved today all because I was selfish and stupid. So don't blame him for any of this. It's all on me. And I'll take whatever punishment you have to offer for putting his life, and Matt's, at risk."

He looked at me then. "For what it's worth, Near, I'm so sorry for getting you involved. I hope someday you can forgive me."

I hugged him almost instantly, but Light was still unhappy.

The brunette shook his head. "Mello… I…" he sighed, taking my hand and leading me away. "I can't even look at you." He then walked away, guiding me alongside him.

When I looked back, L was patting the blonde's back as he sobbed into his hands.

I don't know how we were going to recover from this.


	35. Chapter 35

_**A/N: We're closing in on the end guys. Maybe one more chapter today then the ending chapters tomorrow. Hope you're all ready.  
**_

_**As always thank you you lovely people for the awesome feedback, and I hope you all enjoy!**_

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**(Matt P.O.V)**

"How long do you think they've been talking to him?" I asked the fluff ball beside me.

Near shrugged. "An hour? Maybe two?"

I felt my heart sink a bit. "Do you think he's going to be kicked out of the successor program?"

Near cringed inward. "Maybe."

We sat in silence then. Near was just as scared for Mello as I was. What he'd done, putting his life at risk, trying to capture Beyond on his own, and putting our own lives in danger… it was above and beyond stupid.

Then again, we didn't have to agree to help him.

Mello had been talking with Light and L about his punishment for getting involved in a dangerous case like this for a while now. Light had been so incredibly angry at the blonde that he'd stopped speaking with him. Light didn't even go to see him in the hospital while he was recovering. When Mello returned though, which was today, L and Light took him aside and we hadn't seen him since. We were almost too sure the blonde was going to be either expelled or relocated for what he'd done. I think he was alright with that though. He'd been incredibly sorry for having Near almost killed and had more than once cried over the thought of almost losing his brother. I'd tried to comfort him, but he wouldn't have it. He just broke down and cried, not even begging for forgiveness.

How close we'd come to losing him. To losing Near and him. All because he'd wanted to prove himself.

The door opened and Mello came limping in, holding his side. He merely limped past us and lied down on his bed. Sighing heavily.

Near spoke quietly then. "M-Mello? Is everything… you know…"

The blonde sighed. "I'm not being relocated. I'm staying here at Wammys and will still be in the successor program."

I breathed a sigh of relief at that. "So then, what's your punishment?"

He rolled over a bit to look at us. "Well, my chocolate bars have been reduced by half now for at least a few months. I have to help out in the cafeteria for a full year three times a week, my grades have been reduced by seventy percent, meaning I have to rework my way to my place as L's second successor," he sighed again, "and I'm no longer allowed to be on missions, to hear of any cases, or to act on anything I hear until I'm at least twenty years old. Even then, L would only assign me to small cases when the time arose."

I cringed a bit at all the stuff he had to do. "Yikes. It's definitely going to be tough on you for a while."

He rolled over again to face away from us. "Yeah, whatever. As long as we're not dead."

Although he was trying to be just a tiny bit humorous, I could tell that all this was eating at him. Having to get his grades back, to be reduced on chocolate for a while, help out in the caff, _and_ he couldn't be on cases anymore for quite a long time. However, things could have gotten a lot worse for him if L and Light decided not to be just a bit merciful.

Our door suddenly opened again and Light stepped through the door.

"Both of you, out. I need to speak with Mello alone."

We did as commanded and left the room. Light closed the door behind him and we instantly felt pity for the blonde.

L then came into view from the hallway. "Come with me. I'll take you two out for some ice cream."

"What about Mello?" Near asked.

L looked at the door, then back at the albino. "Light needs to speak with him first, then maybe they'll join us."

The question couldn't be held back by me. "Why didn't you kick him out of the successor program? Or send him away? I would have thought for sure…"

"Because Light and I both agreed it wouldn't have been fair to him if we'd done that. What he did was childish and completely idiotic, but there is a reason behind it. We're not blind, we can see it clearly on his face what's going on. But there still has to be consequences for his actions."

He held out his hand to Near and the kid took it.

"Come on. We should give them some privacy to speak."

He began to walk down the hall with Near and I followed them, looking back at my door one last time to send some good luck to Mello.

* * *

**(Light P.O.V)**

For the two weeks Mello was at the hospital I'd felt more than angry at him. Angry… infuriated that he'd gone after a psychopath, that he'd put his own family in danger just to prove himself. I'd been so incredibly angry at him that I was beginning to think that he shouldn't have been part of the successor program anymore.

But from the moment I'd seen the pure sorrow in his eyes. The fear of knowing he'd done something so incredibly stupid, and could have lost someone he loved more than he admitted, I couldn't help but have the slightest ounce of forgiveness for him. I was still incredibly upset, but I knew kicking him out of the successor program would not help matters for him. Besides, there was more to his stupidity than he was admitting anymore.

Once Matt and Near were out of the room I sat down next to his bed and looked at him. Waiting for the right moment to speak.

Turns out, he spoke first.

"I hadn't meant to hurt anyone." He spoke softly. "I especially didn't mean for Near to go after Beyond in my place. I just…"

"You just what, Mello?" I asked angrily. "You just wanted to prove yourself? You've already done so by helping out in a case, another time at which you almost got yourself killed, not to mention the grades you had and the way you thought and solved puzzles and minor stage cases! What more do you want?!"

"I WANT TO BE L!" He exclaimed, turning to me. His eyes were filled with tears with no way of stopping them from overflowing.

He tried to wipe them away as he spoke. "Ever since he found me he's said I was a perfect successor, that I was more than worthy of his title! But then Near came along and skyrocketed to the top without lifting a finger! Everyone talks about how great his grades are, how amazing his mind is, and soon I was out of the picture! Near took from me what I held dear and I had nothing anymore!" He placed his hands on his head. "Then, during the Kathers case I found a way to prove I was quicker and smarter than him, so I took the opportunity. But you all got mad at me and lost belief that I could end the case, so when the topic of Beyond came up I thought that if I caught him I'd earn my place as number one again. That's why I told Near to stay back and let me handle this."

He hugged his legs close now and hid his face from me. "But when I woke up and I saw him missing I didn't care about my place in Wammys anymore! I knew… I just knew he'd end up dead if I didn't do something to help him. I ran and ran as fast as I could, no shoes or socks, and I begged and pleaded to god that he'd be alright. The moment I saw the gun, I jumped in front of Near, not caring if Beyond killed me or not. I just knew I couldn't let my brother die because of me, no matter how much better he is than me or how much greater his grades are. I just couldn't let it happen."

He began sobbing now and I took the blonde into my arms, sitting on his bed. He fought me though, pushing me away and telling me he didn't deserve my forgiveness.

It was then that I realized I was seeing the real Mello for the first time. He'd been under so much pressure to become L's successor, to be the best at Wammys, he'd completely lost himself in the race. And it took almost losing someone he cared about too realize his mistakes.

Even though he fought like mad to stop me from hugging him, I still took him into my arms and held him as close to me as I could. What he'd done was incredibly stupid…

…but we were even stupider to not see these signs sooner.

I sighed heavily hugging him tighter. "Mello, I'm so sorry for not helping you with all this stress. I know how much you want to be L, to be his successor, and in that endeavour you've lost yourself and all that which you are. But it's like I told you before, L won't be choosing his successor for a while yet, and even if he had already you wouldn't know for a very long time to come." He finally stopped fighting me and just continued to cry into my shirt. "You're so young right now, and there is still so much for you to live for other than being L. Don't waste your time away wishing you were something you aren't. Because the truth is, you aren't L."

I pulled the boy away a bit to look him in the eye. "You're Mello. And I personally think Mello is a lot better than L some days."

I wiped away the tears from the blonde's eyes and he hiccupped a bit. "Y-you don't mean that…"

"Of course I do. Mello, planning to catch Beyond was incredibly stupid and not like the Mello I know. But taking the bullet for Near, helping him escape the madman, and taking the blame for everything… this is the Mello I know and love. And you don't need to be L to be someone of importance. Please try to remember that."

He nodded slowly, grinning just a tiny bit. "I still feel incredibly stupid for everything I did. I should have been kicked out of Wammys for what I put you all through."

I hugged him close once again. "No, Mello. It wouldn't have solved anything. You just snapped under to pressure."

"Like A did." He mumbled.

I nodded. "But unlike A, you found a reason to keep fighting. And unlike him, you know you can talk to me or L when the pressure becomes too much. And, just maybe, we can help you heal some of the wounds."

He cuddled in closer to me. "I love you, Light. You're a good mom." He sniffled out.

I planted a kiss on his head. "I love you too, Mello. As does L. Don't ever forget that."

For the remainder of my time there I held the blonde in my arms. He'd had so much weight on his shoulders, so much to hold up, that he was beginning to crack and break right in front of us. Just Like A when he'd been alive. But, unlike A, Mello had me to speak to. Him, Matt, and Near all had me. And it broke my heart a tiny bit knowing Mello hadn't trusted me to speak about this overwhelming burden on his heart.

Hopefully, though, I'd assured some trust with him once again.


	36. Chapter 36

_**A/N: Hate to do this to all of you, but this is the final chapter! Couldn't help but write it out, I was too excited!  
**_

_**Don't worry though, because the sequel will be up tomorrow!**_

_**For the last time in this specific fic, thank you all for the awesome feedback, you are all terrific people, and I hope to see you all tomorrow with the sequel. **_

_***Note: I will be posting a notice when the fic is up on this story so you won't have to wonder when it'll be posted. :)***_

_**Adieu my fellow readers! Until tomorrow!**_

* * *

**(L P.O.V)**

I couldn't believe B had held a grudge for so many years. Right when I was beginning to believe I had gotten over A's death, he just had to remind me about it again. And then Light tells me Mello is carrying some immense burden on his shoulders, enough to make him snap and believe he had to do something as stupid as trying to catch Beyond, not to mention the guilt he was feeling right now for having Near almost killed, and putting Matt in danger as well…

For once in my life, I had no idea what to do.

I flopped face first onto my bed. Hearing that Light was no longer mad at Mello made me feel better, but knowing Mello was going through so much pain and anguish, thinking I didn't respect him or care about his abilities, enough that he basically went on a suicide mission to catch B…

And it was like having A back into my life. And I was risking losing Mello now, too.

As soon as Light sat on the bed, I made up my mind.

I looked up at him. "I'm cancelling the successor program. That's it! I can't lose anyone else because of my position here in life. I don't care about having someone to take my place after I die, if it means the possibility of losing one of my boys…!"

Light put a hand on my shoulder to calm me. "L, why did you restart the successor program after you found Mello? You'd said it had to do with something with filling a gap in your heart that A and B had left when they were taken from you. But you never explained why _exactly_ you restarted it."

I took a moment to think about it. "Maybe I didn't even _want_ it restarted. Maybe I just wanted a reason… for Mello to stay."

I sat up then, Light's hand never leaving my shoulder. "Maybe I thought… if I gave him a reason to stay, he'd never want to leave. And my heart wouldn't feel so empty." I smiled at the thought of Matt and Near then. "And then Matt entered my life, then of course Near, and… I was happy. I'd had my successors back. Where A and B once held a place in my heart, Mello, Matt, and Near filled the void. I guess… I guess I restarted the program because of them. They were my boys… but I was wrong to assume that."

"What are you talking about? Of course they're your boys, hey love you!" Light reassured. "But I don't think you've let them know just how much you love them. You treat them with respect, but I've never seen you hug them or listen to them. You said to me when I'd first came here that they were your brothers, but they were so deprived of love that when I'd tried to hug them at first they were confused. Not to mention, Ryuzaki, that Mello is an extremity in this case. His own parents wouldn't love him after his incident, and after watching you he closed himself off."

I sighed heavily to myself. "Light, you are the first person I've ever truly loved more than anyone or anything. I have a hard time spilling the words 'I love you' whenever it's needed. So what makes you think showing any kind of affection to the boys is easy for me?"

Light kissed my cheek then, and smiled at me. "I thought you liked a challenge."

A few moments went by and I thought about what he'd said. I still couldn't find it in my heart though.

"Light, it's already too late. The boys would probably just shy away from me."

Light chuckled as he kicked me off the bed. I landed on the floor with a thump and was more than irritated that he'd kicked me.

"Care to explain what that was for!?"

"Well, you aren't going to go talk to your boys on your own accord, so I'm giving you a kick in the right direction." He then pointed to the door. "Now go find your boys and tell them you love them, or face losing them forever."

"Light, it isn't that simple…"

"Go now, or forever be locked outside this room until you do!"

"That's not much of a threat considering my many houses and estates across the world."

"And none of them have me. Let that sink in a bit."

I grumbled at the thought. He'd had a point.

I gave up trying to fight him and got up from the floor. I then head out the room to find my boys. Of course, Mello was resting in his room, but I hadn't expected to find Matt and Near there. The two seemed to be taking care of Mello while he rested, and I was warmed by the thought that the three had a special bond together. It was something I'd wanted for them since they'd all been introduced when they were very young.

I finally made my entrance and the three looked up to find me. Mello seemed the most pleased since he sat up almost immediately, and cringing soon afterwards at the pain in his side.

"Are you all done with the Beyond Birthday thing, L?" He asked happily.

I scratched my head a bit. "Actually, there's still some paperwork to do concerning his imprisonment and…"

I stopped when I noticed the look on his face turn from joyous to morose. Even Near and Matt were a bit saddened.

I grinned though. "But Watari is taking care of it for me. I actually came down to see if you were alright, Mello."

His eyes lit up at this and he nodded. "I could do without the sharp pain, though."

I sat down on his bed. "I'm sure you'll be fine." I turned to Near who sat at my feet then. "And you, Near? How have you been doing since the incident?"

The albino just smiled and hugged my leg. "Better. Now that I know Beyond is gone for good, I'm not too worried about running into him again."

"Even if he was on the loose," Matt spoke up, "we'd protect you. We're family, it's what we do!"

Mello scoffed. "If I find out you took a bullet for anyone, I would never forgive you."

"Why? You took a bullet for Near and _I_ forgave you. Even if you don't deserve it."

The blonde jerked forward to get up and hit the game, but I pulled him into a hug before he could get close to him.

"Let it go, Mello. You're alive and safe. That's all that matters. You can beat up Matt when you're back to good health."

Mello sighed. "And after I get my grades back to normal. It's going to be a hell on wheels for the next few months, but hopefully I can pull it through."

I hummed at this. "Actually Mello, I'm thinking about cancelling the successor program for good."

"WHAT!" The three of them said at once. I was then bombarded with questions on why and how I came to the decision.

When I'd calmed them down I explained.

"It's just too stressful for kids your age to worry about becoming something that I haven't even chosen you for yet. I'd rather you all just live your lives accordingly and become your own, self-made, people. I don't want to lose any of you if the stress ever gets to be overwhelming. I love you all too much to allow this kind of stress on your shoulders."

Mello shook his head. "No, L, we've worked too hard for you to just stop us now!"

"He's right!" Near added. "It's not too stressful, we can handle this!"

"I'm sorry, but my mind's made up." I declared. "I won't have this kind of life for you."

Mello pulled away from me and looked me right in the eye. "L, from the moment you told me who you are and what you stood for, I wanted to be like you. Maybe these past few years have been a bit tough on me, but that's because I lost sight of who I was as a person and what I wanted to fight for. Having Near almost die… almost get killed… it helped me to realize what it is I want. Not just to be the best… but to fight for what's right. That's something you always taught me… and I'm sorry for thinking that being L was the right way to go.

"Please, L, don't cancel the program. If you have, then just kick me out and let Near be your successor! I don't care about it anymore! I'm just happy being me."

The sincerity in his eyes was enough to move me, but it wasn't enough to stop the worry.

I sighed. "Fine. I won't cancel it. For now at least." I looked back at him. "But that doesn't change anything about your punishment. Your grades will still be reduced by seventy percent."

_'Or at least that's what you will believe for now.'_

Yes… that was my plan now. Mello would believe his grades were low so I can observe what he will do next. If he continues on with believing he doesn't have to be L to be great, then I will feel safer continuing on with the successor program. If he shows any signs of stress again, or begins to lose his way, then the program will no longer be in effect. If I can get Light on board, then it'll all be the perfect.

I opened my arms and the blonde hugged me tight. "Thank you, L. I'm sorry for everything, I know I've been losing myself but I can get past this. I know I can."

_'I hope you can.'_ I thought to myself.

I sighed once more before letting him go. "I don't suppose you want some of that imported ice cream I managed to save. After all this drama with B, I'm more than willing to share it with all of you as a celebration… this once."

"Didn't you just take us out for some?" Near asked me.

I pressed a finger to my lips. "Light never needs to know about this."

"Now you're talkin'!" Matt hurrahed. "I'll go get the bowls and spoons!"

And the red head was off.

I stood from Mello's bed and promised to be right back. Maybe I wasn't big on the whole 'sharing' business most times. But, for my boys, I could let this slide for once.

* * *

**(Mello P.O.V)**

For the first time today I was happier than I ever could have been. My family was safe, L hadn't cancelled the successor program, and Light loved me again! Well… he'd always loved me… but I still felt pretty good!

I sat up a bit more in bed only to notice Near crawl up to join me.

"I guess everything's going back to normal now, right Mello?"

I shrugged, feeling a bit of pull in my arm stitches. "I guess. I know I'm finally getting back to normal. Lord knows I was losing it with the whole L thing."

"I guess I didn't make it easy on you, huh? I'm sorry for that…"

"Don't be." I told him, hugging him with one arm. "Don't ever be sorry for your genius."

The albino nodded, looking up at me. "I never did thank you for taking the bullet for me. And for helping me escape. You're a good person, you know that right?"

I groaned. "Yeah, but don't tell any of the older kids. I have a reputation here."

"Not anymore!" He exclaimed, hugging my waist. "Everyone knows that you love me now!"

I growled trying to push his hands off. "Yeah, whatever freak!"

He giggled the more I fought and it sadly made me smile back. I guess it was just good to see him happy again.

I finally got his hands off me but his smile never left. I only rolled my eyes at him though then kept my gaze to the door. It had been silent for a full two minutes before Near finally said something.

"Hey, Mello,"

I turned to look at him. "Yup?"

"Do you remember when you were teasing me about my crush? When you thought I had a crush on Linda?"

I got cheeky then. "Aww, does my baby brother trust me enough to tell me who is widdle crush is?" I mocked him in a baby voice.

Before I could fully laugh at him though…

Two lips pressed against mine and I froze.

I couldn't…

He…

There was no way…

But there it was. His feelings right there out in the open.

Near had a crush on me.

He backed away then but I stayed absolutely still. Neither of us hadn't said a word until Matt suddenly ran in with the bowls and spoons.

"What's going on? Mello, you look like you've seen a ghost."

Near hopped off my bed and grabbed a bowl from Matt.

"He's just weird." The fluff ball answered, giving me a look before climbing up and sitting on his own bed.

Matt sat beside me. "Seriously, dude, you're freaking me out."

I finally blinked and shook off the shock.

Once I grabbed a bowl from him, I muttered, "It's nothing," before L walked in with the ice cream.

Too bad I was too stunned to enjoy it.


	37. Notice

_**A/N: Just so you're all aware, part three of the series is now up and running! You are now all free to read the next installment if you choose!**_

_**Please enjoy the part 3, labelled, "New family Ties" which you can find on my profile. :)**_


	38. Notice 2

_**A/N: I am here to report that the prequel for my trilogy has just begun (Sorry it's a bit late) and I'd like to invite you all to come down and read it! Note though, this prequel is strictly LxLight. No Matt, Near, or Mello P.O.V's**_

_**I hope to see you all there!**_


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